Playing with Mercury
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Mai Otome universe. Sequel to "Reinforced Steel." Natsuki and Shizuru have decided to start their family, but nothing goes according to plan. When Natsuki's sister-in-law shows up, things go from bad to worse. The couple might not make it this time.
1. Food for the soul

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

A/N: this is the sequel to my story Reinforced Steel. Sorry for the wait. The rating will eventually go up, but probably not for the reasons you think. I do hope you enjoy the tale.

Playing with Mercury

1: Food for the soul

Natsuki Kruger, controlled and dignified principal of the famous Garderobe School for training Otome, was knocked out on her dark indigo pillow. She was lying flat on her back as if she had fallen out of the sky. A dopey, happy smile was spread across her peaceful face while a thin line of drool oozed out of her mouth. Her ebony hair was spilled around her, making her pale skin seem to glow in contrast. Sunrays poking in through the closed vertical blinds shone over her, and in them she had this almost ethereal, heavenly form. As usual, she appeared to be utterly adorable, especially to her bedmate.

Shizuru, Natsuki's beloved wife and right-hand in work as well as private life, was awake first, typical of her. Her shining ruby red eyes were locked on her snoozing wife. Adoration and love shone through her eyes so easily and in such abundance that a blind man would have been able to see it. A soft, contented sigh escaped her lips as she stared lovingly at her spouse.

Generally, at this point in the morning, the Third Column would have been all over her spouse, wanting to wake Natsuki with carnal ecstasy, but she was trying to wean herself off of that little habit. In the past, Natsuki always preferred to be given such a wake-up call, but Shizuru wanted to hold off for a couple of reasons.

The most important reason was that Natsuki had been taking special medications lately and they gave her mood swings—horrible, evil mood swings. Things that she often liked suddenly repulsed her and things that used to annoy her now brought her to tears. There did not seem to be any room for happiness with the medication either. Not very fun for Shizuru…or Natsuki for that matter. They were both going to be extremely joyful when Natsuki did not need to take the supplements anymore.

"Dearest Natsuki, working so hard for both of our sakes," Shizuru whispered, lightly stroking her beloved's cheek with gentle fingers. Her other hand floated down to Natsuki's stomach and lightly caressed her abdomen.

Leaning down, she lightly kissed Natsuki's parted lips, not minding the drool. After that, she rolled out of bed and went into her morning routine, which started with brushing her teeth. She then moved onto her morning chores. Ironing Natsuki's work clothing, she laid the gear out on the bed for Natsuki when she woke up. After that, she went to the serious work of making breakfast.

Ever since Natsuki started on her medication, there were specific things that she could not eat…most of which were things that she liked. Others were things that were common around the school. Natsuki had a special diet and despite all of the sacrifices that she was making, Shizuru was more than certain that if she did not keep a watchful eye on her spouse, Natsuki would ruin the diet. In fact, she had busted her spouse a couple of times trying to cheat. So, Shizuru kept a careful eye on her beloved and also made sure to follow the diet precisely whenever she prepared meals…not matter how much Natsuki begged her to bend the rules a little bit.

Being together for almost twelve years, happily married for one, Shizuru had taken upon herself to learn to cook sometime ago. There were a couple of reasons why she had learned to cook. One, she thought that it would be a good trait for a dutiful wife such as herself. Two, sometimes she would like to just stay at home with her beloved and have a decent, home-cooked meal alone. Natsuki was never to be trusted in a kitchen, having almost burnt one down from trying to boil water, so Shizuru had taken up the skill. Natsuki seemed to thoroughly appreciate the homemade meals, which made it very satisfying for Shizuru.

The year of married life seemed to agree with Shizuru and most thought that often enough to comment on it. It did not have anything to do with her cooking or ability in doing other chores. It was just that she had a glow to her. Her eyes seemed to be eternally bright now and her smiles were almost always genuine.

Shizuru was well aware of the shift within herself, but she did find the shift to be a bit strange and amusing. Their married life was not very different from their lives before they got married. They still had all of the same routines, same jobs, and most of the time their behavior was still the same…most of the time…until recently anyway.

Shizuru found that she had become more romantic since marrying Natsuki last year. Her behavior influenced Natsuki and Natsuki proved to be quite the romantic when she put her mind to it. Love notes were Natsuki's specialty. These started after Shizuru wrote a sonnet to her after their honeymoon. The principal had been so touched that she had to respond, writing a letter almost five pages long to her wife. Shizuru's rather…passionate reaction sealed the deal that Natsuki would be writing more love letters. Love letters were usually long and confessing her deep love whenever Shizuru was out on assignment. Whenever she was gone, those lifted her spirits. Sometimes, wherever she was stopped her from receiving the letters, but Natsuki would hold onto them and present them to her when she returned home. She liked those letters even more, letting her know that she was on her beloved's mind at all times, not just when she was reachable.

At home, Natsuki would leave little notes to Shizuru, just reminding her how much she loved her. These, Shizuru often answered back with little love poems of her own. Natsuki considered those poems the highlight of her day whenever she got one—much like Shizuru whenever she received her own letters.

Every now and then, Natsuki would surprise her wife with flowers too. She never needed a reason. In fact, if Shizuru asked her what was the occasion, she would always answer, "Because I love you." The Third Column often felt like swooning whenever Natsuki did such things. She hoped these bits of romance always existed in their relationship and was not just a side effect of their first years as a married couple.

Shizuru went to work around the kitchen, putting together breakfast for her beloved. As she was setting the table, Natsuki lumbered in, looking as flat as possible. Her hair was frizzed and it seemed like she did not wash her face. She had managed to crawl into her uniform, but even that seemed to fit on her funny. Shizuru thought that it might have to do with Natsuki sitting with such poor posture lately, but she doubted that was it. There was just an air of misery around Natsuki that seemed to affect everything about her.

"Good morning, dearest wife," Shizuru chirped as she came over to the table, putting down a cup of milk for the principal.

Natsuki groaned when she saw the beverage. "More milk? Can't I have some tea?" she begged.

"You know the caffeine isn't good for you right now," Shizuru reminded her wife. The look in those emerald eyes broke her heart. Natsuki had missed their tea times since being put on this accursed diet.

"Orange juice?" Huge, pouting emerald eyes turned to Shizuru, imploring her for anything but milk again.

"The acid is bad for you right now. Would you prefer water?" the tawny-haired woman offered.

"Yeah, with cola in it," Natsuki remarked in a grumbled voice, folding her arms across her chest like an upset toddler.

"Oh, sweetheart…" Shizuru stepped behind Natsuki and wrapped her arms around the grumpy female. She hugged her wife tightly and nuzzled her face in a warm, creamy neck. "It'll all be over soon. Just endure it for a little longer, please," she implored her strong spouse.

Natsuki nodded weakly. "I'll try…" she muttered, still sounding perturbed.

"Good girl," Shizuru cooed, gently kissing her wife's neck. "Would you like anything else with your breakfast?"

The angry principal shook her head. She turned her attention to her food and had to rub her face to help keep herself together. Yes, she did want something else with her breakfast.

"Can I have salt with my eggs?" Natsuki requested, even though she knew better. Every day, she hoped for a different answer.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru said sharply, more surprised than scolding, though. She knew that she could not reprimand Natsuki now. Not with those medications wreaking havoc on her hormones and emotions.

"Pepper?" The hope in her voice was gut-wrenching for the Graceful Amethyst.

Shizuru shook her head. "You know you can't have spices, even salt and pepper. The salt alone would slaughter your blood pressure and who knows what would happen after that. Please, just eat breakfast. Hopefully, soon you'll be off this diet."

Natsuki did not seem to be listening. Her lackluster eyes stared blankly at her breakfast, wishing that it was something else, something better. Her voice was small as she started to speak again.

"It's so bland, Shizuru. It's nothing like your usual cooking…" Natsuki commented.

"Oh, dearest heart, I promise you, as soon as this is all over, I'll make you a huge banquet," Shizuru vowed, rubbing her spouse's back with the hope that it would calm her down and get her to eat.

"Baby…mayo…?" Natsuki pled, her voice cracking.

Shizuru shook her head. "You know you can't."

"No mayo? What about Miracle Whip? It's not really mayo. It's salad dressing! It shouldn't count!" Natsuki was pretty much hysterical at this point. She turned to cling to her tawny-haired wife.

"Natsuki, sweetheart, please, calm down!" Shizuru worked to make sure Natsuki stayed in her seat and she did not get worked up.

"It shouldn't count…" The ebony-haired Second Column whimpered and then she burst out crying. The tears poured out of her eyes as if she was seriously wounded.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki and embraced her, hugging Natsuki's head to her bosom. The younger woman continued to cry, even though she did not want to.

"Damn it, I can't stop. This is driving me nuts. It's making me impossible to deal with," Natsuki growled, now angry with herself more than her breakfast.

"It'll be over soon, sweetheart," was the soothing response.

"Do you know yesterday while I was talking to Miss Maria, she gave me the usual scolding and I burst into tears? She didn't know what to do and I couldn't stop!" the principal huffed, wiping her eyes, even though she was still weeping.

Shizuru chuckled a bit, but made sure to keep the sound low to avoid setting her poor spouse off again. She could just picture Miss Maria telling Natsuki off and then being caught off-guard when the tough, former biker principal burst into tears, even though Miss Maria knew the risk. Bless Miss Maria, though, because she had been trying her best to treat Natsuki normally, even though she knew all about the mood swings. Natsuki appreciated the gesture.

"Miss Maria knows what's going on, so there's no reason to be embarrassed," Shizuru reminded her lover.

"That's not the point! The point is that I started crying because she was scolding me! What the hell is that about?" Natsuki shouted with a seething snarl.

"You've done it before," Shizuru pointed out. The last time it happened—a couple of weeks ago—Miss Maria looked ready to run away as quickly as possible. Amazingly enough, the elder Otome had stood her ground, despite how foreign, creepy, and downright weird it was to see Natsuki cry. Shizuru doubted that Miss Maria even knew that Natsuki could cry until she started her medication.

"It was horrible then and it was horrible yesterday! I have no control over myself anymore! Last week, I was in a meeting with a nation looking to join the Otome program and looking to send their first few girls in and I had to leave twice! I cried in the hall because it was a nice day outside! A nice day, Shizuru!" The Second Column wanted to jump up, but Shizuru still had her in a hug, holding her tightly.

"It's okay, dearest. It's very much okay. It's not you. It's the medicines," Shizuru said in a soothing tone, rubbing Natsuki's back to calm her down.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this," the shorter woman admitted in a low voice.

"You might not have to. This could be it. Today could be it."

"What if it's not? What if all of this didn't work and I have to stay on all of this medication for another two months? I don't think I could take it, Shizuru. I'm sorry, but I really don't think I can take this for two or three more months," the principal stated, sounding sorrowful and ashamed.

Shizuru softly kissed the top of Natsuki's head. "It's all right. I don't want you to hurt anymore, love. You know I don't want you to hurt, but stay positive. This is the final day of this, please believe that."

Natsuki sniffled and nodded into Shizuru's shoulder. They were quiet for a little while before Natsuki eased back into her chair, knowing that she had to eat. Shizuru made her own plate and sat down with Natsuki. Shizuru had been eating exactly what Natsuki had been eating since the principal went on her special diet. Shizuru thought the support would help Natsuki get through it. It worked for the first couple of weeks, but soon, Natsuki was starting to feel the pings of withdrawal from all of her favorite things.

"We'll go see Youko-sensei before going to work, all right? I am sure that the good news will set you at ease," Shizuru said to offer up some conversation. She was growing weary of quiet meals watching Natsuki pout or just look plain miserable.

Natsuki sighed as if that was some great burden, but she nodded in agreement. After breakfast, Shizuru got a brush and fixed her spouse's hair, making sure to tie it back when she was done. She did that because a few weeks ago, Natsuki had a breakdown just because her hair kept falling in her face. The appalling thing about the whole incident was that Natsuki always realized when she was having a breakdown and just could not stop. She often felt like it she was a prisoner in her own body, watching as she did one embarrassing thing after another.

"Babe, I'm sorry for being so difficult," Natsuki said after Shizuru finished her hair.

Shizuru smiled and kissed her mate's cheek. "I don't mind. You're doing this for both of us and for our family. I actually expected you to be much worse when Youko-sensei said the side-effects would be extreme mood swings," she giggled a bit and hoped that did not strike sensitive Natsuki in the wrong way.

"I've been trying my best to keep it together."

"You're doing a great job, sweetheart. I honestly expected Natsuki to cry and scream everyday with the way Youko-sensei explained everything. I also expected Natsuki to go insane from the lack of mayo."

Natsuki laughed a little. "I thought I would too. I'm upset you raided all of my secret stashes, though."

"I have to make sure my beloved does not cheat her diet. That is the best way for us to make it past this first step, correct?"

The ebony-haired Column nodded to that. Shizuru then went to get dressed herself while Natsuki called her new receptionist. Shiori, the principal's former receptionist, had graduated and was now quite the successful Otome. Natsuki had allowed Shiori to pick her replacement. Irony of ironies, Shiori had chosen Kyoko Heinrich, a young lady that had been brought to Garderobe by Takeda, a man who had fallen in love with Natsuki and tried to steal her from Shizuru. Kyoko started out as a shy girl, not too sure what to expect at Garderobe and intimated by the sheer size of the school, but she soon found herself fitting in. Her golden eyes that had seemed so lost in the beginning were now sharp and alert, ready for anything from what everyone could tell. She was considered a bit of a curiosity by many of the other girls because they did not know much about the area that Kyoko was from. Kyoko was from the same area as Natsuki, but not the same island, so Natsuki knew a little of what Kyoko was going through because she went through something similar when she was a student.

Natsuki called to make sure Kyoko knew about her appointment with Youko-sensei and she also let Kyoko know that she was going to be in late. Kyoko, rather efficient at her post, took note of that and assured the principal that all messages would be waiting for her when she got there. Natsuki was not looking forward to that, but thanked Kyoko for her hard work anyway.

"Ready for your appointment, love?" Shizuru asked as she came out, dressed in her usual Otome uniform. She ran her fingers through her tawny hair, even though she had already brushed it.

"Let's go before I start crying for no reason again," Natsuki answered with a bit of a huff.

Shizuru smiled and took her wife by the hand, calming Natsuki instantly with the simple gesture. They walked to their destination and found Youko waiting for them. The couple had seen Youko Helene, the chief medical officer of the school and head of the science department, much more often than usual since Natsuki started on her supplements. Honestly, Natsuki was sick of seeing her, but she blamed that on the medication. After all, she had never had a problem with the chief medical officer before the medicine. Whatever the cause, her tolerance level dropped severely and her temper often flared around the scientist.

"Good morning, Sensei," Shizuru said brightly. Natsuki only glanced in Youko's direction.

"Good morning, Shizuru-san. How is the patient this morning?" Youko inquired, turning away from her computer screen. She was the only one in the lab at the moment. She was always the first in the office and the last one to leave, which was how she believed a leader or boss should be. It was a trait and belief that she shared with the Second Column.

"The patient would rather not be spoken about as if she was a thing," Natsuki replied with some bite in her tone. She threw a glare for good measure, just so that Youko remembered that she was not the principal's favorite person right now, despite all of the work that she was doing for them.

Youko chuckled a bit, very much used to the attitude that the younger woman had. "Still cranky, I see. Well, you know the drill, Principal. We can go through this quickly and then talk about the update in your condition."

Natsuki nodded and quickly undressed. The doctor then gave her a physical. Youko made sure not say anything beside the basic questions or she knew that her patient would literally bite her head off. Natsuki answered them all with the expected hostility. Youko did not seem concerned and Shizuru had long ago stopped reprimanding her lover for the behavior.

After the physical, Youko drew some of Natsuki's blood. While waiting for that, the younger woman put her clothing back on and then went to Youko's desk. Natsuki stood in front of the doctor and glared down at Youko, who ignored her patient. The scientist was already looking at the blood analysis and focused all of her attention on that. Shizuru pulled over a chair and forced Natsuki to sit down. Once she was planted in a seat, Youko turned to the couple.

"Okay, a few points," Youko started out, turning her attention to the eager couple. "First is the good news, which is that you are pregnant," she announced with a huge grin.

Natsuki's mouth dropped open, but she was unable to speak. Shizuru gasped, having to put her hand over her mouth, so that Youko would not see that she was gapping just as much as her beloved. The ebony-haired Otome reached for her wife's hand and gave her a tight squeeze. Shizuru squeezed back.

"We're pregnant…" Natsuki whispered in awe. Her obvious joy made the doctor smile even more.

"Yes, you're six weeks along," the doctor informed them.

Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief, as did Shizuru. Neither of them even knew that they were holding their breath. They could not believe it, but they were going to be parents. Natsuki was six weeks pregnant!

"That's just…wow…" Shizuru muttered, sounding much like her lover now. She could not think of anything beyond that.

"Yes, six weeks along," Youko stated again.

"Okay, so we're finally pregnant. Does that mean no more of these damned medications or diet?" Natsuki inquired, praying that was how it worked. This was very important for her because she doubted that she could make it through eight more months of those two things.

"You're done with those. I told you, those were to help your body prepare and accept the procedure. I know for you, two months of all of that was pure torture," Youko said, teasing ever-so slightly.

Shizuru had to swallow down a snicker, even though she did feel some envy. She had not been able to inflict even the most innocent teasing on Natsuki. The principal did not notice how amused her wife was, focusing more on the doctor's smart-ass comment.

"Yeah, it was. You should've said something about how extreme those pills were going to be. It wasn't fair to just say 'they might give you mood swings.' I've been a walking lunatic for the past two months, not sure when I was going to go off," Natsuki griped, throwing her free hand up in annoyance. "Most people just think I've gone off the deep end because they don't know we've been trying to get pregnant and I'm on like a million and three pills!" she huffed, twisting her mouth up.

Natsuki and Shizuru had decided to keep it a secret so far that they were trying to have a baby because they did not want to get anyone's hopes up. The procedure that Natsuki needed to go through had a bad track record for first-try successes. They did not see the point in mentioning that they wanted a baby if it almost a year just to get pregnant.

The couple told Miss Maria about the medication just because they did not want to her to devour Natsuki whole if a mood swing hit her at the wrong time and she went off on Miss Maria. Of course, the funny thing was that Natsuki never lost her temper with Miss Maria. Instead, she always ended up bawling her eyes out with the older woman, which was much stranger than her losing her temper. In fact, she tended to randomly cry more than anything else. Other than Miss Maria, everyone else did just think the big, bad principal was stressed out of her mind.

"If I told you about all of that, I knew you would've started thinking on it and worrying about it. You would've wasted a lot of time, even though it was clear that you and Shizuru really want to start your family now," the scientist answered, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

Natsuki frowned. "Fine, fine, fine. So I'm done with all of those stupid medications now?"

"Done with those, yes, but now we have to start you on others."

"What! You didn't say that when we first came and asked what we needed to do if we wanted to have a baby!"

Youko sighed. "Once again, I didn't tell you everything because I knew you would start thinking it over. We all know you have a tendency to think too much if you're given enough time. I doubt that you would've gone through with it right now if you knew all of the work you needed to do it. You would've waited until you retired, even though, we all know you both want a baby right now."

Natsuki frowned even deeper. "You've just got all the fucking answers, don't you, doc?"

"Natsuki!" Shizuru scolded her.

"A worst case scenario is that you would have retired immediately without picking out a decent replacement or finishing your new work of expanding the Otome program to help underprivileged girls in other nations. You still have work to do, Natsuki. I want to see you finish it before you retire," Youko explained in a gentle tone.

The pale woman continued to frown, but then she suddenly sighed. "Fine. What do I have to do now since we're pregnant?"

"Okay, well, I'll write you up a new diet. It won't be as severe as the other one, but I'm sure you won't like it anyway. You just have to remember that you're eating for two now. I'm going to give you vitamins to take for the baby and also some for yourself. These won't give you the mood swings like the others… The pregnancy will take care of that. I'm sorry, I know it seems like a lot, but we have to be sure your baby makes it."

Natsuki nodded. "I know, I know. How long will I have to take the pills for me?"

"Through the pregnancy, I'm afraid. The reason for that is just like why you were taking the supplements before. We have to make sure your nanomachines don't attack the baby. The nanomachines can't think, obviously, so they are not aware that your baby is your baby. The nanomachines just think that a foreign body has invaded your system and will attack, constantly and continuously. The pills lower the amount of nanomachines in your system without destroying them all and also keep them unaware of the baby growing inside of you," Youko explained.

"Does this mean that Natsuki will get sick more easily?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"No, Natsuki has a very healthy immune system and the vitamins will keep that up. The vitamins will keep both mother and daughter quite healthy," Youko assured the couple. "I'm not completely certain if she can do more than activate her Robes while she's pregnant and the nanomachines are being suppressed. You'll still be able to use your GEM for other things, but using your weapons or trying to use the Robe to its fullest would be too much for you. I wish I could do more, but you will have a long road ahead of you."

The couple both nodded. "Will our baby be all right?" Shizuru inquired, trying her best to keep a tremor out of her voice. She barely succeeded.

"I'm sorry to say, but she will be in danger of an abortion from the nanomachines up until delivery. She'll have to be monitored carefully. The medication should be fine, but we all know that everything does not often go as it should. I want you to come in once a week, just so we can keep an eye on her."

Once again, the couple nodded. There was a moment of silence, which Natsuki decided to break. "I guess this is why most Otome wait until they retire before becoming pregnant," the principal commented. Part of her thought that she should have waited, but she honestly did not want to. She and Shizuru were ready for their family, but they were not ready to give up their jobs because there was still so much to do.

"This is true, but I am certain that your little girl will be fine. There is no way that a daughter with your backgrounds is not a fighter," Youko remarked with a small smile.

"You are correct about that, Youko-sensei. I am sure that our daughter will be fine also. We will all fight for her and with her, after all," Shizuru stated strongly, soundly.

They all nodded in agreement. They were not going to let anything happen to the baby. Youko informed them that she would write out everything that the couple needed and she would send the list to both of them. That was the end of the appointment and everyone went about their day as if it was a normal day, but they all knew that this was far from normal. Natsuki was pregnant. Natsuki and Shizuru were going to have a daughter, a little piece of both of them, in less than nine months. It was amazing. It was nothing short of a miracle for them.

* * *

Next time: the couple celebrates their bundle of joy.


	2. Considerations

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

2: Considerations

Natsuki and Shizuru went their separate ways after their appointment with Youko. They were both overwhelmed by the idea that they were going to have a baby, but they tried to be mature and not dwell on it. They even attempted going about their day as they normally did, but it was difficult, especially for Natsuki, who only had paperwork to distract her. Shizuru at least got to interact with people to help keep her grounded.

The words on each document ran together for Natsuki as her mind whirled with thoughts that she was now supporting a life inside of her body. Her hand drifted from her desk to her abdomen. Inside there, she thought, was their first child. A little girl that was half her and half Shizuru. It was so unbelievable. A small smile played on her lips as she quietly held her stomach.

Shaking off the shock, Natsuki turned her attention back to her work. Once again, the words started running together and nothing made sense to her. This was not the first time that it happened. She recalled two months ago when it happened. Back then, she had assumed it was the effects of all of the drugs Youko was pumping into her, but quickly learned that was not it. She just had trouble focusing now because there was so much on her mind.

Before, she worried about the medication and the procedure not working. Then, she started worrying about all of her mood swings and what she was going to do with them, so she could trust herself around people again. But now, all she could think about was that they were going to have a daughter. She and Shizuru were going to have a little family of three soon enough.

Her thoughts drifted to all of the arrangements that were going to come up. They were going to have to find a home for real now. There would be no more putting it off because they still had the Principal's Suite. That was no place to raise a child, they had agreed, but neither of them had started looking for a suitable place. She wrote a note to herself to discuss that with Shizuru immediately.

Panic griped her as she realized that they had not even discussed baby names! They had been planning to have a child since they got married and they knew that they would have a girl, but they never talked about what they would name her. Shizuru had not even brought it up!

As she started hyperventilating, she was saved from her own thoughts as her door opened. For a moment, she considered it was Shizuru and they could get down to business right now before it was too late! She quickly found out that it was one of the other people that came into her office without knocking or announcing herself—Miss Maria.

From the slight shock in Miss Maria's sharp eyes, Natsuki knew that her mini-freak out—which was trying to turn into a major freak out—was showing on her face. Clearing her throat and forcing her heart rate to return to normal, Natsuki made a show of shuffling through her papers. Miss Maria was not buying the act and felt it was her responsibility to keep the principal sane for a little while longer since she was one of the few people to know why the raven-haired Otome was a basket case lately.

"Perhaps we should tell Youko-sensei to find other medications for you if they're going o keep causing you such anxiety," Miss Maria suggested.

"No, today was my last day for those medicines," Natsuki stated, trying her best to sound professional. Unfortunately, her body was shaking and that was affecting her voice.

Miss Maria breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to be more than happy when Natsuki got the last bits of the drugs out of her system and returned to normal. She could easily deal with the regular Natsuki—as difficult as she was. It was another matter to deal with an emotional Natsuki, especially one that changed emotions every twenty seconds. She doubted that she would ever forget the first time Natsuki actually burst into tears because she was reprimanding the principal for slacking; the slacking was normal, the crying was supernatural. Miss Maria thought that she was going to have a heart attack when the sobbing started. She had scared Natsuki so much with her own reaction that the younger woman had to explain why she had suddenly cried and why it would probably happen a lot more often.

For a moment, the older Otome stood there, not too sure what to do. Generally, she was beyond professional, letting even the principal now who was the real boss around Garderobe. But, honestly, she was anxious and eager to know that the "First Couple of Garderobe" as many people referred to the Second and Third Columns were going to become the "First Family of Garderobe."

"How was the appointment?" Miss Maria asked, trying her best to sound clipped. In the end, she had to clear her throat, pretending that something stuck there had caused her to sound curious.

Natsuki was silent, but her eyes drifted down to her stomach. Once again, her hand found her abdomen and she swallowed hard, trying to keep down all of the emotions boiling inside of her, which were made worse by those medications that she still had in her system. Instead of keeping it down, the emotions just made their way to her eyes, causing the emerald orbs to fill with water. Miss Maria was not sure what to make of it, so she waited for a verbal answer.

"We're pregnant…" the headmistress whispered, sounding more in awe now than she did when she first got the news.

"Congratulations," Miss Maria said for lack of a better thing. She felt a small tug inside of her that wanted to embrace one of her favorite former problematic pupils, but she managed to avoid that. "You've come a long way in a short time, Natsuki," she said, speaking informally because of how overwhelmed she was.

"But, I still have a long way to go," Natsuki replied with a small smile. "You helped get me here. I hope you won't mind if I ask for your help just to take a little further," she requested.

"And what can I do to help you?" Miss Maria inquired.

"Help me figure out who you would rather deal with as Principal because I think we both know that my time here is short while you'll be here for all eternity," the younger woman remarked with a smart-ass smirk.

Miss Maria frowned and snorted. "I would trend carefully. You are still here, after all, and have to deal with me for a little longer."

Emerald eyes just flashed with the impishness that Miss Maria was used to from Natsuki. She pulled up a chair to the principal's desk and Natsuki directed her attention to the pile that she needed to go through. Luckily, this pile was much smaller than the last time that Natsuki considered retirement. That horrible incident, though years ago, was fresh in her mind. The Columns had returned to the school as if they were going to a funeral and Natsuki had moved around like a ghost. This time was nothing like that. Natsuki, despite all of the medications, seemed more like herself and this was her decision to retire, not someone else's.

Natsuki had an ulterior motive for asking for Miss Maria to go through the pile, which was that she knew that she would get work done if Miss Maria was right there. She turned her attention back to her documents while the older Otome went through everything, asking questions whenever necessary.

For a moment, Natsuki did let it linger on her mind that Shizuru had not visited her during the day as she usually did. They had to stop having tea breaks together because tea had been on Natsuki's diet list of things that she could not have, but Shizuru would show up to talk and check on her. She wondered if something was wrong, but she made a huge effort to push that down, figuring that Shizuru was just dealing with the news of their baby.

_Our baby_, Natsuki thought. _I like the sound of that_. She smiled; Miss Maria did not ask about the expression.

* * *

Natsuki sighed, making her way back to her apartment. She was a bit frustrated because she had not seen Shizuru since their morning appointment with Youko. Part of her frustration was due to the fact that she was still under the effects of the drugs, but not as much as that morning. So, she was well aware that what she was feeling right now was mostly her wishing that she spent some time with Shizuru and not getting what she wanted because it seemed that Shizuru did not want to be with her.

"Maybe she thought I was going to be all messed up for the rest of the day," Natsuki muttered to herself.

Deciding that it would be best to not think about all of the reasons why she did not see Shizuru, Natsuki sighed again. Thankful when she finally reached the door, she was surprised that it was wide open, revealing a dark apartment. Scratching her head, she slowly and cautiously approached the opening. She thought about what she would do if something was wrong, but she was not sure what she could do. Activating her Robe might be all she could do, so maybe it would scare away any intruders. She would not risk anything else because of the baby. Hell, she did not even want to activate her Robe, not sure what would happen if her nanomachines had a reason to do something.

Stepping over the threshold, Natsuki instantly calmed down, knowing that she was overreacting. She also found out what Shizuru had been doing with her time and the reason why she probably did not make her usual visit. The apartment was bathed in candlelight. The dim, ethereal beams illuminated a table in the middle of their living room.

"Welcome home, Natsuki," Shizuru said in her most polite voice with a small, delighted smile as she stepped out of the kitchen. She was wearing a sleek, goldenrod dress that made Natsuki swallow hard as soon as she noticed it.

"Baby…" Natsuki was not sure what else to say, making sure to close the door behind her. She did not want anyone to intrude on the rather private moment.

Shizuru continued to smile. "Dinner will be ready in a moment. Would Natsuki like to change?"

The principal nodded and rushed into the bedroom, wanting to change into something more formal and flattering to match the mood and her wife. Shizuru chuckled a bit as her spouse rushed by her. With Natsuki gone, she would be able to fix their plates and set up the table with their food by the time the shorter woman returned. Shizuru hurried back into the kitchen, putting her apron back on, just in case. Sauce always found the worse times to have a meet and greet with outfits, after all.

While she listened to Natsuki's low swearing as she changed, Shizuru pulled out the pan of lasagna that was done baking. She cut two bits out, one much larger than the other. She was certain that Natsuki would enjoy the meal, even though she had to make a couple of changes to what her wife was accustomed to because of the baby. Just by the fact that there was cheese on the food, Shizuru knew that Natsuki would love it.

With the lasagna settled on the plates, she moved those to the table. After that, she put some salad into two bowls. Natsuki would have a choice between two salad dressings. Neither of them were mayo, but anything that would add flavor would be more than enough for Natsuki. After that, she had to pull the bread out from underneath the oven and spread some "butter" on it. It was not real butter, but a substitute that she hoped taste enough like butter that Natsuki would think it was the real thing.

With the food in the proper place, Shizuru removed her apron again. She then walked into the living room to retrieve some gifts that she purchased for her beloved. By then, Natsuki was out of the room and standing before Shizuru, silently hoping for the taller woman's approval. The wide-eyed, gaping expression that Shizuru gave her was better than any words—however elegant they would have been—Shizuru could have uttered.

Natsuki was dressed in a black skirt that went just to her knees and hugged her hips enough to tease Shizuru's senses. Above Natsuki's right knee was the small image of a howling wolf, which was why the outfit had caught her attention during her last shopping trip—torture as she thought of it—with Shizuru. The shirt embraced her torso in a manner that almost mimicked Shizuru's hugs and it showed off her stomach, like many of Natsuki's shirts. It was white with light black pinstripes going down it and the back sported a larger image of the howling wolf in black; one would have to look very hard to tell what the image was. The clothing was topped off with a bolo tie that Shizuru bought her a few years ago.

Beyond the clothing, Natsuki had pinned up her hair, except to allow two strands frame her face, which had a hint of makeup on it. Light pink lipstick shimmered on her lips, begging for Shizuru's kiss. The plea was swiftly answered, Shizuru's lips gently claiming Natsuki's mouth. The brunette's hands went around Natsuki's waist, one drifting to feel just the top of Natsuki's plump behind.

"Hime…" Shizuru breathed as they pulled away from each other.

A blush rushed up to pale cheeks. "Babe…" She bit her lip, wishing that she had a better term of endearment for her wife.

"Should I not call Natsuki 'hime'? That is what she is," Shizuru commented, teasing a little. She found it funny that she could tease Natsuki with both her title of "hime" and also the title that most people called her in her home country, which was "ouji-sama."

"No, this is our hime," Natsuki replied, moving Shizuru's hand from her rump to her abdomen. The former biker smiled a bit, enjoying the feel of Shizuru's hand on her skin. Shizuru smiled and nodded.

"Indeed, our hime. Such a darling little princess already," the Third Column agreed. "Our little angel," she added, feeling that might be a nickname that Natsuki would prefer to calling their daughter a princess, even though she was.

They were silent for a few seconds before Natsuki just had to end their precious moment. "So…can we eat now?" she requested with a sheepish, but adorable grin.

Shizuru chuckled. "I would like to present you with some gifts before we sit down eat because one of them is our centerpiece."

"Well, I don't think I've ever said no to a gift before, and I don't think I'm going to start now!"

The taller woman laughed again, but quickly gave her wife the first gift. She pulled out a vase with a bouquet of various colorful flowers. The thin, long, red-tinted vase was being hugged by a plushy Dalmatian with big, black puppy eyes. Even though Natsuki was not typically a flower person, the smile on her face was genuine and precious as she accepted the gift.

"Thank you," Natsuki said and she went to put them on the table, making sure that the vase was in the very center. She and Shizuru took a moment to admire it before she turned back to her taller wife. "I think we should put them on the coffee table until we're done with dinner. I don't want anything to block my view of you," she stated.

"Oh, dearest heart, you always say the right thing at the right moment," Shizuru cooed. She thought that was part dumb luck, but mostly that Natsuki was a romantic without any real effort.

The principal moved into the living room to put down the flowers. Shizuru then presented her with the other gifts. She pulled a stack of motorcycle magazines out of her bag and handed them to her ebony-haired spouse. Many of the periodicals were rare and limited editions. Tears welled up in Natsuki's eyes as she embraced her loving wife.

"Ara, ara, Natsuki is crying over motorcycles?" Shizuru teased, even though she accepted and returned the hug.

"Shut up. It's the medicine…Well, the medicine and the fact that I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world. My countess, my duchess, my princess, my queen, my desert rose," Natsuki whispered.

Shizuru had to hold back tears now. Her Natsuki had such a way with words when it was important. After enjoying the hug for more time than necessary, Shizuru pulled back and led Natsuki to the table. She surprised Natsuki by pulling out her chair for her. Emerald eyes blinked hard from the action.

"Uh…Shizuru, you okay? You know I usually do that for you," the headmistress pointed out.

Shizuru smiled, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. "I know, but there is no rule that says I cannot do it for you. Please," she requested, motioning to the seat.

Generally, Natsuki would have argued about this. She really liked doing things "gentlemanly" things for Shizuru. It made her feel chivalrous and just seemed polite. But, right now, she could understand why Shizuru would want to feel that, so she went along with it. She sat down without a fuss and allowed Shizuru to push her up to the table. Shizuru then went to her seat.

"Oh, you made lasagna! I love food from Lutesia!" Natsuki grinned, as if her wife did not know that.

Shizuru just smiled instead of bothering to point out that she was well acquainted with the foods that Natsuki liked and what regions they were from in the world. The smile did not leave her face as Natsuki cut a bit off of the corner of her lasagna and shoved it into her mouth. The delighted moans and expression of pure ecstasy on Natsuki's face almost made Shizuru jealous. _Natsuki doesn't moan like that for me!_

"This is so good!" Natsuki declared after swallowing down that first bite. "It doesn't taste how you usually make it, though," she noted.

"I used vegetables instead of meat this time," Shizuru admitted.

Natsuki nodded. "Oh. I never thought vegetables could taste this good! I think I was wrong in calling you a queen when you're obviously a goddess! You worked magic on this!" The happy grin on her face changed a little, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Is this on my diet list?" she asked curiously. This tasted way too good to be something that she was allowed to eat.

The brunette nodded. "Everything I give you from this point on until our daughter is born will be on the diet list. Don't worry. The last thing I want to do is watch Natsuki suffer as she had the last couple of months. So, please, enjoy and eat your fill. There is plenty more."

Natsuki did as she was told, digging into what she considered the first real food that she had had in months. The only thing that slowed her down was out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shizuru pouring her a drink. For a moment, she thought that Shizuru was actually allowing her to have champagne, but she noticed the lack of bubbles. Upon tasting it, she found out it was grape juice, but that was a step up from the milk and water that she had to stomach for the past two months.

"So, are we celebrating our little miracle here or just the fact that I can eat again?" Natsuki asked with a little laugh.

"Both, dearest. I've been planning a nice dinner for you the moment that Youko-sensei took you off of that diet. I believed that it would make Natsuki very happy," Shizuru commented.

"You believed right!" Natsuki got up for seconds on both lasagna and salad.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru whined, making sure to sound very overdramatic. "I wanted to serve you tonight!"

Natsuki gave her a sheepish grin as she returned to the table with her food. "Sorry. I know you do, but I'm just so happy to have real food again that I'm hyper over it!" She started in on her new piece of lasagna, finding it to be just as good—if not better—as the first bit that she had.

"So, how was work, Natsuki? I wish I had time to keep you company today, but I needed to buy food and gifts," Shizuru stated.

"It was fine. I told Miss Maria we're pregnant. You know, just in case the mood swings keep up, she'll know I'm not out of my mind."

Shizuru nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Miss Maria appreciated the heads' up," she remarked.

"I'm sure she's hoping that the pregnancy is the calmest one on the planet because I don't think she could deal with me being any more bananas than I have been. I was wondering, do you think we should tell anyone else?" Natsuki asked curiously.

The tawny-haired woman thought it over with a hum. "Well, we didn't tell anyone before because we didn't want to get their hopes up and this process take a while. It turns out Natsuki's body was very cooperative, only having to go through the procedure once in order to become pregnant." Shizuru smiled a bit again.

"My body knew it didn't want to go through that diet or those mood swings again!" Natsuki remarked with a laugh.

The taller Otome laughed a bit too and then after a couple of seconds of silence, she brought the conversation back to being serious. "Does Natsuki want to tell others of our good news?"

Natsuki thought on it for a moment and then she shook her head. "I think we should wait a while."

"Oh?" Shizuru was bursting from the news and really wanted to shout it from the mountaintops, even if it did not look like it. She had held off from calling her parents immediately because she wanted to do this celebration dinner and have Natsuki by her side, but she had had plans to get in contact with them as soon as she could.

"Babe, I know you wanted to run to the phone and talk about this for the next week with your family, but think about it. We didn't tell anyone that we were trying because we didn't want to get their hopes up. I think we should continue that because there's no telling what can happen in the next eight months. There's still that danger…" the principal trailed off, not desiring to put out there that they were still very much in danger of losing their precious bundle.

"Oh, yes," Shizuru muttered, nodding a bit. Obviously, she had put that part out of her mind. "I think that our baby will be fine. Natsuki will see to that and I will help," she declared with expected confidence.

Natsuki smiled and reached across the table to take her lover's hand. "I know, but I just think that we're still in the same boat as before. I think we should wait a little while and see how our little angel wants to play this. I would hate to worry everyone. I mean, if the baby decides to be…temperamental…I don't want everyone rushing here and…well, you know…"

Shizuru smiled a bit and nodded. She knew that Natsuki did not want hordes of people descending on them and making a big deal out of everything. She knew that if she told her parents about the baby and if something did happen, her mother and father would make camp in their apartment and not leave until well after their little angel was born. It would drive Natsuki out of her mind. Added to that, she knew that Anh would be there too because she would have to tell her onee-sama, which would add to poor Natsuki's madness. Eventually, other people would find out because it was not like Anh would keep such great news to herself and it would start chaos.

"So, when do you think we should tell everyone? This is not a secret that we will be able to hide forever," Shizuru pointed out.

"I want to wait and see just how much of a fighter our little girl is. She's in for a long, hard journey and while we will do everything that we can to protect her, she has to protect herself too. I'm not saying that we shouldn't tell anyone, but that we should wait," Natsuki stated.

Shizuru nodded in agreement. They had agreed to not tell anyone they were trying to get pregnant because they did not want to get anyone's hopes up and now that they were pregnant they were going to have to keep their mouths shut for the same reason. They silently wanted the same things, but refused to voice their concerns in case just saying the words jinxed their child. But, they did not want everyone to celebrate with them, only for months later to find out that the baby was gone for whatever reason. Right now, the greatest danger to their child was the same thing that gave their child a chance at life, being inside of Natsuki's body.

"We're going to make it through this, Shizuru," Natsuki promised.

Shizuru smiled warmly and confidently. "I know we are. I can't wait to meet our daughter," she stated. "Now, tell me about the rest of your day. I was very sorry to miss it."

Natsuki nodded and proceeded to tell her spouse about her day, including the fact that she was looking at candidates to take over for her. She was not sure when she was going to retire, but she was pretty sure that she had about two years left in her…if that. She needed to start grooming a replacement, though. Shizuru supported both her decision and her list of candidates. Those candidates also connected to the list of candidates that would likely replace her as the Second Column.

"I think that I will be right behind you, love. I cannot imagine going into that office without my Natsuki being in there," Shizuru said.

"You'll get used to it," Natsuki assured her wife.

Shizuru shook her head, smiling slightly. "I have doubts on that. Anything else you would like to tell me?"

"Well, I had a mini-freak out today. I think I was just getting the last of Youko's poisons out of my system, but it was over a good reason…kinda. We should start picking out baby names and looking for a place to live off of campus. We'll need a house soon enough, especially since I am going to retire and this isn't going to be our suite anymore," Natsuki said.

The Third Column nodded in complete agreement. She loved it when Natsuki took charge and showed just how mature she could be when she put her mind to it. She was certain that they were going to make it through this just because of how determined Natsuki was that they would have a family. The principal was Shizuru's confidence and she knew that Natsuki would move Heaven and Earl to make things happen properly for them.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki gives some help to Haruka.


	3. Sickening

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

3: Sickening

After dinner, Shizuru and Natsuki shared a nice, warm bath. Usually, they preferred it hotter, but on the lists that Youko had sent to Shizuru, "hot baths" were on the "don'ts" list. Warm, it seemed, was enough for Natsuki, because afterwards, she looked ready to pass out. Of course, the gentle massage that Shizuru had given her helped that and Natsuki was out like a light as soon as her head hit her pillow. Shizuru laughed a little and shook her head.

"Well, I suppose I won't be able to end the celebration properly now," the playful woman commented, smiling despite her words as she eyed her spouse.

She eased into bed, wrapping her arms around Natsuki and snuggling into her side. She locked her fingers with Natsuki's and placed both of their hands on Natsuki's stomach. Sleep came as she thought on about their baby. They were going to be mommies!

* * *

The loud ringing of the phone jolted Natsuki out of her sleep. She jumped up from the bed, eyes wide open and heart in her throat. That barely lasted a second as she realized that the world was not coming to an end, but the phone was ringing. She settled down quickly, hoping that she did not wake Shizuru. Glancing down, she saw mostly tan hair, but she felt the weight of Shizuru's head on her elbow, so she suspected that Shizuru was still sleep, despite being moved around.

Snatching up the phone to prevent it from disturbing the Third Column, Natsuki answered the phone with her usual elegance. "What?" she snarled, checking to see what time it was. It was just after midnight, not as late—or early—as she assumed. Still, she was annoyed.

"Natsuki?" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Haruka Armitage whispered.

Natsuki thought that she might be dreaming because Haruka never whispered. In fact, the principal was not sure that Haruka was capable of talking below "ear splitting." She hoped that she was dreaming because that meant that Haruka had not actually woken her up in the middle of the night acting weird.

"Haruka, what is it?" the raven-haired Otome asked against her better judgment. She was sure that she did not want to know, but she was also sure that was the fastest way to get Haruka off of the phone.

"I'm looking at rings right now for Yukino," the blonde answered, still whispering.

"How the hell are you doing that now?" Natsuki inquired. The last time she checked, Aries was not that far behind as far as time went, but considering the fact that her brain was a little foggy right now, she conceded that she could be wrong.

"Malls here don't close until eleven, especially the good ones. Now, is your busybody wife anywhere close by?"

"Uh…yeah, we're in bed, trying to sleep."

"Good! Is she asleep?" Haruka asked.

As Natsuki woke up a little more, she realized how wired and eager Haruka sounded. Checking on Shizuru, she concluded that her "busybody" wife was still asleep. With that out of the way, she proceeded to help Haruka figure out what kind of ring she should get for Yukino. Halfway through the very irksome conversation, Natsuki knew that all of her growling and the tension in her voice woke Shizuru up. The tawny-haired woman did not say anything, busying herself with placing light kisses to Natsuki's nude body; the principal had fallen asleep wrapped in the towel from their bath and that had fallen away some time ago.

Now, Natsuki had to ignore Shizuru and put up with Haruka. She felt like she was in Hell…or Heaven—it was hard to tell with attention her wife was giving her. It did not help when Shizuru's hand found one of its favorite places—Natsuki's breast. First, long fingers traces light circles around the plump, pale flesh. The circles got tighter with each sweep until coming to the center. Natsuki inhaled sharply as Shizuru flicked the gem in the middle. Natsuki now agreed with Haruka—Shizuru was a busybody.

The emerald-eyed Otome knew that she needed to end the call when Shizuru's other hand decided to get into the act and wet lips were leaving trails of kisses over her naked torso. She had never thrown a phone away so quickly in her life. She then turned her attention to Shizuru, cupping her cheek with one hand and causing Shizuru to look up at her.

"You are a bad girl, you know that?" Natsuki inquired.

"You love me that way," Shizuru pointed out.

"I do, my queen. But, I wish you hadn't told everyone that I was some kinda romantic genius. Haruka believes you!"

Shizuru laughed. "You are, sweetheart. What did Haruka want? It sounded like you were talking about an engagement."

Natsuki nodded. "She's trying to pick out an engagement ring for Yukino. I can't believe she's really going to propose. Although she might not if she can't find the perfect ring."

"What is the problem then, Natsuki? You are a romantic genius and she just wants some of your knowledge."

"I'm not a romantic genius. I just do stuff that makes sense to me. Most of my romantic gestures are just things that I feel are common sense, which is why I don't understand why Haruka is calling me for help. I am the most romantically inept person…next to her anyway."

Shizuru shook her head to disagree. "You're nothing like that. From the way you sounded talking to Haruka-chan, I think you know more about romance than you give yourself credit."

"I really don't know anything. Like I said, it's just common sense to me. Well, it's a little common sense, some luck, and a slight selfishness to it, but nothing really deep like you think," Natsuki argued in her usual modest manner.

Ruby eyes appeared skeptical. "Tell me your process then, and I will decide for myself," she declared, fingers drumming against Natsuki's warm body.

A sigh escaped the headmistress' lips. "Fine. Usually what I do is just think about something that I know you like or would like. It takes me a while, as it seems everyone knows that I over-think things often. I get an idea in mind and go look for it. Often, I have to ask salespeople for help. Sometimes, I just describe things to them and they find me something that sounds like what I'm asking for. I have to examine it for a while, I think about how you might react to it, play a few scenarios in my head. If everything adds up, I buy it and usually get it gift-wrapped since it is a gift. That's pretty much it."

"Do you often have to ask for help?"

"Well, I have to find out if the store sells what I'm looking for."

Shizuru chuckled a bit. "That does make sense," she muttered, nodding in agreement. Her breath tickled Natsuki's heated skin while her lips danced dangerous close to the swell of Natsuki's breast. "Now, tell me why you said it's part selfish," she requested, partially curious, but also wanting to keep the principal distracted.

"Um…" Natsuki blinked hard, trying to stay focused and answer as an eager tongue lapped at her creamy, inviting skin. "Well…I tend to just think…about when you do things…for me…and how happy it makes me. I like making you feel that way too and when…Oh, god…" A moan suddenly escaped her throat.

Shizuru smiled impishly, happy with that response. "I thought I was your goddess," she commented teasingly.

"You are, baby. You are my goddess," Natsuki confirmed, fingers laced in Shizuru's head and massaging her scalp. "I love making you feel special and letting you know how dear you are to me. It makes me feel so good too. I would move mountains if it could get you to smile at me."

Shizuru halted her actions just to smile at Natsuki. "You also always know the right thing to say and when to say it. If Natsuki was not mine, I would be jealous of whoever had her. Natsuki is so precious, so splendid," she whispered, as if saying a prayer.

A blush stained porcelain cheeks. "I'm not that great…"

"Natsuki is brilliant and I won't have anyone argue differently!" Shizuru proclaimed, shifting their bodies and moving underneath Natsuki. She openly shuddered when Natsuki's breasts caressed her own through her silk teddy.

"Baby…" Emerald eyes searched amorous ruby orbs. "Can we do this?" she inquired since she knew just where things were going. The glint in her own eyes showed that she was all for it, all of that teasing had gotten her very much in mood. Fanning the flames was the fact that they had not been intimate since they started trying to get pregnant. Two months was far too long.

"Hmm…" Shizuru put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "I should check the list!" She made a show of reaching to her side of the bed, grabbing for a scroll. Yes, she had put the list in scroll form. She unrolled it and smiled like the cat that got the cream. "It doesn't say 'make love' on the 'don't' side and Youko-sensei, knowing me quite well, did take care to put it on the 'do.'"

Natsuki shook her head and blushed. "Does it really say that?"

"Yes, Natsuki. We are allowed to make love. So, can we cease with the questions? I crave you so badly," Shizuru growled, pushing the scroll away from them. Wrapping her legs around her wife's waist, she pulled Natsuki to her body. "Make love to me, dearest heart."

Natsuki grinned. "Hard to turn down that request and Youko did put it in the 'do' section," she remarked.

No more words were exchanged between the couple as they relearned each other's bodies. Moans filled the night as passion ebbed and flowed. Love burst forth from them and into each other until they were spent.

* * *

Natsuki was going through her stack of paperwork, wondering when Shizuru was going to show up with her tea. She had checked the list and she was allowed to have tea. She had literally cheered when she saw that she was allotted many drinks that she liked; all of her favorites were still off, but anything beat milk and water. Thoughts of tea and honey danced through her head, but were interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Damn it," she huffed, shaking her thoughts off as she yanked her phone up. "Kruger here," she answered.

"Okay, Natsuki, I have the ring. It's beautiful. Not as beautiful as my Yukino, of course, but beautiful nonetheless. It's like a snow flake with white gold and diamonds," Haruka reported, sounding like she was possibly leaping up and down.

Natsuki chuckled a bit. "Okay, calm down, Haruka. It sounds like you're jumping on a couch."

The loud Otome let loose a long sigh of relief. "Oh, Natsuki, you were so right! It was best to think about the ring with Yukino in mind."

"Yeah, I know," Natsuki replied. It was common sense to her to think of the person that she was buying the gift for. It would seem that Haruka used a different set of logical rules because she was trying to find a ring for Yukino that she would like, not one that the president would like.

"I'm going to send you a picture of it, so you can see that I know exactly what I'm doing and I can do it way better than you!" Haruka declared in her typical boastful manner.

An inky mane shimmered as Natsuki shook her head. Leave it to Haruka to insult her while asking for her help. She tried telling Haruka before that it was not a competition, but that seemed to motivate the Aries Otome, so she let it go. Besides, it was not like Haruka would listen to her unless she was saying something that the buxom woman wanted to hear.

"I would love to see a picture and see what you've picked out for her. What do you have next?" the principal asked.

"I need to figure out where to pop the question. I was thinking about taking her to a concert. A symphony," Haruka said.

"Hmm…do you really want to propose in front of an audience? All eyes will be on both of you the whole night since you're both very high-profile individuals in Aries. When I proposed to Shizuru, I didn't want an audience, so I took her to a very special place where I knew we would be alone."

"Hmm…an audience would be bad. They would come between us before I even got out the question. I wouldn't want to have to scream over the music either. Hmm…"

Natsuki rubbed her head a little. "Just think of some place you both like, some place that's special to you. I always pack food whenever I go out with Shizuru because I get hungry, so you might want to pack something too." She knew that Haruka could eat more than she could and if Haruka's proposal went anything like hers, she knew that Haruka would need the energy.

"Food for me?" Haruka asked.

"Food for both of you. Come on, Haruka. I know you know how to think of Yukino. Keep remembering that she's in this too. You can't let the panic take hold," the Second Column pointed out. She knew all too well how panic could ruin the best laid romantic plans.

"Right! Right!"

Natsuki chuckled a bit. Mentally, she forgave Haruka for being a pest. She could practically feel the nervous energy over the phone, so she understood the anxiety. Besides, she knew that she was pretty much a basket case when she planned proposing to her wonderful spouse. She wished that there had been someone that she could call for advice back then.

"Haruka, take some deep breaths and just think about some place that Yukino would like to go and you would like to go. Some place you can be alone for a long time and you can enjoy each other's company. Like I said, bring food and whatever else you might need, so you don't have to leave soon. Or eat first and then go down it, but make sure you can stick around for a while."

"All right."

The sound of the door opening got Natsuki's attention. A smile conquered her face as Shizuru entered with the tea tray. For a moment, she was swept up in the thought of having tea with her beloved and then she recalled that Haruka was on the phone. It was hard to forget with the way she was barking in Natsuki's ear.

"I have to go. Shizuru just walked in," Natsuki announced.

Haruka yelped loudly and hung up before the principal could say anything more. Natsuki chuckled a bit as she replaced the receiver. Shizuru pulled the tray over and quickly made Natsuki a cup of tea.

"How is Haruka doing?" Shizuru inquired curiously.

Natsuki, used to the fact that Shizuru seemed psychic, was not bothered that her wife knew just who she had been on the phone with. "She's got the ring. She's going to send me a picture of it. She's now working her way toward the setup. I imagine we'll be hearing about their engagement soon enough."

Shizuru nodded. "I am happy for them. Yukino makes Haruka happy and vice versa, so it's only right that they should be joined," she commented, taking her place on the edge of Natsuki's desk as usual.

* * *

Natsuki's prediction proved to be quite right. Hardly a month passed before Haruka and Yukino both called the "First Couple of Garderobe" to let them know that they were engaged. Shizuru and Natsuki held in laughs as the proud, joyful couple tried speaking at the same time while relaying the message. Added to the comic effect was the fact that it was the video phone, so Natsuki and Shizuru watched all of the wild movements and excited expressions as the other couple just went on and on for almost fifteen minutes, not noticing that they were speaking gibberish.

"Show us the ring already!" Shizuru declared, grinning merrily. Natsuki was happy that her wife said it because she was about to say it and it would not have sounded nearly as polite.

Yukino quickly shoved her hand into the camera. Natsuki and Shizuru exhaled slowly and nodded in an impressed manner. They had seen the ring before, a beautiful band of white gold with a snowflake shape on that was decorated with diamonds. It looked much better on Yukino's finger than it did standing alone.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Yukino asked in a quiet, awe-filled voice.

"It is," the couple confirmed.

Natsuki and Shizuru listened to Yukino and Haruka go on about how great the other was for over an hour. They were pleased that they were the first to know about the engagement. After a while, Haruka and Yukino did realize that they had others to inform, so they ended the conversation. The newly engaged Haruka had been so overjoyed that she forgot to even brag to Shizuru and Natsuki that she had done it better than Natsuki had.

"You know that's going to be all over the news tomorrow," Natsuki commented with a light yawn.

Shizuru nodded. "Yes, it will. Their engagement is going to draw more attention than ours, more than likely. After all, Yukino is actually a world leader, not just a figurehead like you," she teased Natsuki, going so far as to pat the shorter woman on the head.

"For a figurehead, I sure have a lot of paperwork," Natsuki replied with a snort.

The brunette glanced down at the stake and agreed. She stuck around to make sure that Natsuki did not work too hard. The last couple of days Natsuki had complained of fatigue and she wanted to make sure her spouse did not overexert herself in any way. While hovering, she pressed her hand to Natsuki's forehead and believed that Natsuki felt a bit warm.

"Sweetheart, would you like to call it a night?" the Graceful Amethyst proposed.

"I'm fine. I can make it for at least another hour. I need to get some of this finished because I have a meeting before the vacation starts," Natsuki reported.

Shizuru nodded, silently deciding to keep an even closer eye on her lover. As days past Natsuki continued to show fatigue; she fell asleep earlier every day and sometimes napped at her desk. Her appetite waned a bit too, which she blamed on worrying about her meeting. She was going to be able to expand the Otome program to some new countries and she was also working on several scholarship programs for less fortunate girls to have access to great education. She also wanted to get it out of the way quickly before Haruka and Yukino became international news because she knew that some people would make it seem like the Otome program had turned them into lesbians and that was somehow a force of evil. She was thankful that most people did not look at things that way, but still "some" was too many for her, especially now.

"Perhaps Natsuki is working too hard," Shizuru commented, noting how her beloved was sweating and all she was doing was sitting at her desk and working on documents.

"I'm fine. I'm glad those meeting are done. Have you seen the papers or the news?" Natsuki asked, purposely changing the subject. She was not in the mood to have Shizuru fuss over her. She was fine, just a little tired. She had been pushing that line for a while and before that she was blaming things on morning sickness. Shizuru seemed to be buying those excuses less and less, though.

"Yukino and Haruka are on every front page and on every channel. Most are very supporting. They are very loved individuals," Shizuru pointed out.

"Yes, but the people I spoke to yesterday were clearly against same sex couples. They asked about my marriage to you and the disgust on their face was so visible, our angel jumped from it," Natsuki remarked, rubbing her stomach. Their angel seemed to jump a few times yesterday at the meeting, but she did not see the point in bringing that up.

"Yet they dealt with you?" the taller woman asked curiously.

"They were scared that the countries around them would devour them if they got Otome. They want Otome for selfish reasons, but I hope that we will teach the girls to respect each other and their roles in the world to avoid any trouble."

Shizuru nodded in agreement. "I'm sure we will," she replied, reaching out to touch her wife's face, which was becoming flush. "Dearest heart, do you feel all right? You are looking red and I haven't done anything."

"I'm fine. I feel a little warm, but it's a warm day."

"No. I think we're going home now and Natsuki is getting into the bed now. I will fix Natsuki her favorite tea and even allow her a little bread with mayonnaise if she cooperates."

The temptation of mayo was enough to get the principal to move. There was also the fact that she did not feel too well, but she blamed it on the surprising heat of the day and pile of paperwork that came not just from her own meetings, but with the vacation for the students. So many things needed her signature before the day's end. Thankfully for many Corals and Pearls, Natsuki finished whatever she needed to sign for them before she was forced to her bed.

The raven-haired Otome was asleep before the tea made it to her. She did not even get to eat her bread with mayo. She slept through the day. Early in the next morning, Shizuru started making breakfast and considering what to do about Natsuki if she was still feeling unwell and denying. A sick Natsuki was never good to deal with.

As she grabbed a bowl, an agonized scream shattered her peace. The bowl crashed to the floor, pieces scattering everywhere. Shizuru did not even notice because she knew the source of that pained cry. Heavy foot falls pounded against the tiled floor as she charged to the bedroom.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru called as she burst into the room.

"Shizuru! I think…I think we might have a problem!" Natsuki reported through gritted teeth. She was sitting up in the bed and she had a hand on her stomach.

"The baby?" Shizuru gasped. "Natsuki, tell me, what is wrong?"

"It feels like my insides are being shredded! Call that quack Youko, please!"

Shizuru wasted no time calling the lab and was stunned that Youko answered. They were lucky that she had not left on vacation yet! Shizuru told Youko as much as she could in under a minute. Youko just ordered that she bring Natsuki to the lab immediately. The Third Column obeyed, hanging up and picking Natsuki up as carefully, but expeditiously as possible.

"Hold on, beloved. Please, just hold on," Shizuru prayed.

Natsuki nodded, but she did not say anything. By the time they arrived at the lab, which was devoid of life except for one person, Youko was ready for them. She directed Shizuru where to place Natsuki on an examination table. Youko began examining Natsuki while talking to her, finding out where the pain was and when it started. Youko drew blood and she also examined Natsuki's uterus. Shizuru just stood back and prayed, not wanting to be in the way.

"Damn it, her nanomachines are in rebellion. They're trying to attack the baby because they think it's a dangerous, foreign body. How long have you been sick you say?" Youko asked curiously.

"I just felt the pain this morning," Natsuki groaned.

"She's been fatigued and bordering on feverish for days," Shizuru reported.

"Amazing. The nanomachines are being kept at bay by Natsuki's natural defenses. Her body is actually protecting the baby almost against itself since the nanomachines are part of her too. But, we need to do something about those machines quickly before they get to the baby. I underestimated quite a few things about our dear principal: the level and power of her nanomachines and the power of her own body," Youko commented.

Natsuki moaned in pain. "More medications?" She hoped that was not the case, but she would take every pill the doctor had if it would save the baby.

"Yes. The supplements will make sure this doesn't happen again. I would also like to keep you here for a few days, but I'll explain that all later. Let's get to the matter at hand first."

The ebony-haired woman agreed with that. Youko had to inject Natsuki with drugs to calm her nanomachines as soon as possible. The pain began to subside and that was when Shizuru felt at ease with coming in to comfort Natsuki. She held her wife's hand and stroked her shining, obsidian hair.

"You'll be fine, sweetheart. Our angel is going to be fine," Shizuru said, kissing her lover's fingers. Natsuki could only smile weakly. "You're so strong and determined, dearest. You're so powerful, sweetheart. The greatest protector of all. You are so amazing."

Youko watched the couple and smiled. She was quite pleased with their decision to have a child because they had so much love between them that they needed to share it with others, others as in a family. They also needed that physical representation of their love. She could only imagine how much they were going to spoil their first born when she finally arrived and she was certain that baby would arrive. That kid was a scrapper, like her parents.

"So, doc…" Natsuki started and had to pause to gather her strength. Her voice was weary, but she was trying to get things back to normal. "How long you trying to keep me here? Looking for company over the break?" she taunted, forcing out a playful smile.

"I want to make sure your nanomachines calm down and don't start up again. As far as company for the break, I thought you could use a change of scenery," Youko remarked.

"I got the best scenery in the world," Natsuki replied, casting tired eyes to her wife. "What're you even doing here? Don't you usually cut out for the break and go hang out in the desert with your crazy 'friend' Midori?"

Youko arched an eyebrow. "She is my friend and I would prefer if you stop saying it like that, trying to imply something else. But, as for why I'm not with her is quite easy. I have this horrible patient that I have to see at least once a week and it's pretty dangerous to leave her alone even for a few days."

Natsuki mustered a mocking sneer, but that was about all. She fell asleep minutes later, finding it impossible to keep her eyes open. Youko then pushed a chair over to Shizuru for the concerned woman to sit down.

"Thank you, sensei," the ruby-eyed woman said. The expression in her eyes made it clear that she was not thanking the doctor for the seat.

"It's not only my job, but my pleasure. I'm glad we stopped this. It seems that Natsuki was fighting off those machines for days and that's why she seemed ill. Her body was taxing itself. The pain came from the fact that she was starting to lose the battle. But, you were right, Shizuru-san. She is going to be fine, as is your daughter," Youko promised.

"With you caring for her and Natsuki carrying her, I can believe that. I am sorry that we kept you from your home. I know how you look forward to it every vacation now," Shizuru commented.

"I do enjoy it. Best of all is to see how healthy everyone is now. But, I'm needed here, so I stayed. I am happy to be here too, Shizuru-san, so don't apologize. Now, you sit with Natsuki while I try to calculate just how much I should add to Natsuki's already heavy prescription. If she doesn't hate me yet, she will hate me soon," the scientist remarked with a light laugh.

Shizuru smiled. "She appreciates all of your work, but you know how Natsuki is. She just can't let you know she likes you right away…or years down the line."

Youko chuckled and agreed. Oddly enough, one of the loveable things about Natsuki was her resistance to people. Mostly because it was so weak, but she loved to put up a front that it was not.

The chief medical officer left the couple alone a little while after that. Shizuru sighed and a few tears dripped down her face. She reminded herself that Natsuki was fine and their little angel was fine. Everything was fine. And everything was going to be fine, but she cried anyway.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki gets a visit from a brother.


	4. Notsopleasant surprise

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

4: Not-so-pleasant surprise

Youko released Natsuki three days after the couple arrived. For their trouble, they had a stable child growing inside of Natsuki and several more pills for her to take to make sure the baby stayed that way. Natsuki really did not care. She would have taken a whole pharmacy for their child at that point.

"Make sure she takes it easy over the break, but she can resume her usual workload when school opens again," Youko told Shizuru, making sure to speak as if the principal was not even there to get on her nerves. For some reason, she liked to antagonize Natsuki just a little bit; she figured it was a way of showing that she cared.

"I will, sensei. I will also rush her to you the next time I think something is wrong with her," Shizuru replied. She felt rather guilty for letting Natsuki slide for so many days, suspecting that the Second Column was sick, but believing her when she claimed that she was fine.

Youko laughed. "I'd have to keep her if you did that," she remarked.

"Oh, aren't you just so funny?" Natsuki huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I think I preferred it when you and I just had a working relationship and I was unaware of what a smartass you are."

"I suppose I could say the same. I had no idea you were so cranky and grumpy all the time." Youko shook her head. An amused smile played on her face.

Shizuru chuckled before thanking Youko again. She then led Natsuki back to their home and made sure that Natsuki got back into bed. She was surprised that Natsuki did not object and said as much when she brought in lunch for her beloved.

"Well, I do hate having to sit still for so long, but it's for our baby. I don't want anything to happen to her," Natsuki commented, lightly patting her stomach.

"That makes two of us, but I also don't want anything to happen to my big baby, so please continue to take it easy," Shizuru replied, settling the tray that held a tuna sandwich on the bed. Natsuki had yet to recover her usually ravenous appetite, but it was getting better by the day. Shizuru figured the tuna sandwich would help her appetite since it had mayonnaise in it.

"I will, Shizuru." Natsuki then took a manageable bite of her sandwich. By the sandwich was a bowl of salad that was too much for the principal to eat, so she knew that was Shizuru's lunch for the day.

"Natsuki…" the Third Column said in a low tone, eyes shifting off to the side for a moment.

The younger woman arched an eyebrow to the strange sound of her name. "Yes?"

"I think we did the right thing by not saying anything yet. I know this sort of thing would have torn my mother apart, even though everything turned out all right. I would have told her about the baby and while you were being taken care of by Youko-sensei, I would have called her and drove her insane and I know she would always worry about everything," Shizuru reported in a low tone.

Natsuki knew what lay underneath those words. Easing up, she moved the tray out of their way and embraced her beloved wife. Shizuru fell against her and started weeping into her shoulder. Natsuki held onto her lover while pulling Shizuru up on the bed, resting the taller woman against her. Tenderly caressing Shizuru's shoulder, Natsuki whispered sweet words and assurances in her love's ear.

"I'm sorry for going to pieces on you, dearest," Shizuru sniffled.

"It's fine. I prefer you do it on me than on your own. Tell me about it, Shizuru. Talk to me, baby," the fair-skinned woman gently requested.

"Your scream…the pain in your eyes…the baby…" Shizuru muttered, shaking her head in her spouse's shoulder and unable to speak any clearer than that about what was upsetting her.

"It's okay, baby. We're both fine now. We're going to stay fine," Natsuki vowed. There was no way that she was going to allow Shizuru to go through this pain or worse, the pain of losing their child, especially if she would have to go through it alone because they were going to keep it a secret.

"I was so scared…" the older woman whispered, her voice cracking.

"Honey, I promise you that you won't be this scared again. I'm going to be fine and so is our baby," the Second Column pledged, holding her wife a little tighter as if her grip made her words even truer.

"Natsuki…"

"Look at me, Shizuru," Natsuki ordered. Instantly, blood-red eyes were locked with hers, watching her with familiar intensity. Emerald eyes reflected the same vehemence. "Everything is going to be fine. Do you hear me? Everything is going be fine."

Shizuru nodded. "If Natsuki says it, then it'll be so," she stated, her voice a little stronger than it was before. Inside, she felt like that too. If Natsuki was so certain and determined, then it would be all right because she knew that Natsuki would do everything for her and their family.

Natsuki smiled and continued to hold onto her wife, comforting her. Shizuru snuggled into her spouse, feeling Natsuki's heartbeat against her body. That set her at ease, but she did not move. _If Natsuki says it, then it will be so_.

* * *

Natsuki yawned and stretched in her chair, trying to stay awake at her desk. The pen was still in her hand, halfway through her signature, but her eyes were drifting shut. Just before her forehead met her desk in a manner neither would appreciate, her eyes opened wide and her head shot up. She blinked hard and shook her head.

"I gotta get Youko to change these damned pills again before I pass out in the shower," Natsuki muttered to herself. She was beyond worrying about passing out at her desk since that had happened a couple of times already. She blamed that for the headaches that she had been experiencing lately.

After rubbing her eyes, Natsuki checked to see if it was her naptime yet. Thanks to new medication that she was on, she had to take naps at regular times or she would nod off either at her desk, in a meeting, or just having a conversation. One time, she actually fell asleep standing up in the middle of a lecture to some of the students. Thankfully, Shizuru was there and acted quickly to keep Natsuki from collapsing and to explain away the principal's odd behavior to the bewildered—and slightly frightened—students.

Ever since that scare with the baby, Natsuki was more open and willing to try all sorts of drugs to make sure that the baby was fine. Every few weeks, the dosages would change or Youko would fine some other medication that she believed would work better. So far, the mixtures and changing agreed with the baby. Sometimes—very rarely—they even agreed with Natsuki. Obviously, now was not one of those times.

She wondered how many more medication changes she had coming to her until the pregnancy was over. She was counting down the days to the end of her pregnancy, which was a long way to go for her, but she was already six months along. She was very obviously pregnant at this point, but she had taken to wearing a long shirt and jacket, trying to hide it. No one had asked her if she was pregnant yet, almost scared that they might be wrong and she would end up insulted. Of course, that did not stop rumors from popping up; many students were trying to figure out how Shizuru-onee-sama possibly knocked up their beloved principal.

Shizuru was bursting to tell someone about their daughter, especially as her existence got more obvious. Every now and then, Natsuki caught her wife staring at the phone and she knew that Shizuru wanted to call her parents and her sister. Natsuki was starting to get similar thoughts.

Natsuki knew that her parents were itching for another grandchild and her brothers were itching for a niece or nephew. Well, she was carrying the niece right now and she knew that it would make every Krugers' day if she told them about the baby. She could imagine how her whole family would flip about a new girl in the family. Her mother would particularly love it, even if she did not agree with the way the child was conceived. Her mother might hold that against her and Shizuru, but she would never hold that against the baby.

Still, Natsuki still remembered about the trouble that they had months ago when they almost lost their little girl. They were not going to be out of the woods until the baby was born and she really did not want to drag her family or Shizuru's family through anytime of scare involving the child. She also did not want them to come to the school, thinking that they were helping because she knew that would be stressful on her, which would in turn be stressful on the baby.

"I know you're a scrapper, but you really scared Mama, you know?" the principal muttered, rubbing her stomach. She then yawned. "And you're also putting Mama to sleep. Maybe we should go to sleep, little one."

Before Natsuki could dwell on the fact that she wanted to curl up on the couch and go to sleep, the phone rang. Her attention was diverted for the moment. She grabbed the phone and answered in the usual manner.

"Kruger."

"Principal Kruger, there is a man out here that says he's your brother," Kyoko, her receptionist, reported. She sounded suspicious, like she did not believe the man.

"My brother?" Natsuki echoed, as if she had never heard of such a thing.

"Yes. He really doesn't look anything like you, Principal. Should I have someone show him out? I'm not entirely sure how he got in here in the first place." Yup, she was definitely suspicious.

Natsuki chuckled a bit. "What's he look like?" she asked curiously. She figured if any of her brothers would just show up, it would be the eldest—Shuichi. He had a lot more mobility in life than their other brothers, but he and Natsuki looked the most alike out of the Kruger siblings…not that that said much. Still, she doubted it was him because they could pass for siblings. And, he always called before he showed up.

"He's short with blond hair…" Natsuki nodded as she listened to the description; so far, it sounded like one of her brothers…as well as at least twenty percent of the planet's population. "…His hair is gelled up with this red bit going up the middle…" Well, that did not sound like a brother now. Although, she could guess who it was if it was actually her brother.

"Does he look like he's about fifteen years old?" Natsuki inquired. There was a pause and she was pretty sure that Kyoko was doing a thorough inspection of the man in front of her.

"I'd say maybe eighteen, if that," Kyoko answered.

Natsuki laughed a little again. "I think that's my twin brother."

"Twin brother?" Kyoko echoed, sounding more than a little confused.

"Yes, my twin brother. Send him in."

Kyoko did not object and Natsuki disconnected the call. Moments later, the door opened and as expected Natsuki's "twin" brother walked in. Kenta Kruger was looked very different from the last time Natsuki saw him, which was over a year ago at her wedding. Back then, he had grown his blond hair out a little and taken out the blue dye streak in it because he was in Natsuki's wedding as one of her groomsman. Now, his blond hair was longer and gelled up in the front, standing tall in the face of the law of gravity and sporting a thick strip of strawberry red through the center of it. The rest of his hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail.

His light grey eyes had a sprinkle in them that made the blue tint in the orbs more pronounced. His youthful face was a smooth as always, as he found it nearly impossible for him to grow even a hint of a beard or mustache. Being one of the darker Krugers, which did not say much, he had tanned enough for it to be noticeable. The color added a glow to him, but it was not rivaled by the glow to Natsuki.

"Baby bro!" Kenta grinned, throwing his arms out as he entered the room.

"Hey there, twin!" Natsuki replied, climbing out of her seat.

The siblings embraced; Natsuki held off a little to hide the fact that she was pregnant. They then exchanged hard punches in the shoulder, which helped wake Natsuki up. They laughed off the hard hits and let a peaceful silence reign over the room before Kenta spoke up.

"This damn sure is a nice school you got here! I couldn't believe this was it when I first got here, but everyone told me that this was the place I was looking for!" Kenta declared with a delighted grin as he started looking around her office and marveling at the size as well as the design of the place.

"Well, it's not like I built the school," she replied modestly, scratching her cheek a little as she spoke.

"I know, but the fact that you're in charge of something this nice is just impressive. I mean, I bet if Mom saw all of this, she would get off your back and everything. She would see that you are totally grown and you know just what you're doing," Kenta said, still grinning.

Natsuki nodded in agreement. She was sure that when her mother saw the school, then she would finally gain the older woman's respect. And she expected her mother to see the school soon. She doubted that her mother would miss the birth of her first granddaughter, even if she was opposed to the process that brought the baby into existence.

"This office is just…" Kenta trailed off as he slowly walked around the office, nodding his head in approval. He stopped at the large windows by her desk and took in her view. "I'm really proud of you, baby bro. You really have your life together," he said in a low voice. He turned back to his sister, emotion beaming through his grey-blue eyes. "I'm so proud of you…"

"Kenta-kun…" Natsuki muttered, not too sure what else to say. It was a rare day that Krugers got emotional, in particular with each other. She swallowed hard, trying to maintain her composure.

The older sibling started up before the principal could say anything further. "You look nice, Nat-kun. I guess work agrees with you. What kind of work do you do anyway? I can't imagine you as a principal and a diplomat and all of that stuff," he commented, eyes sweeping across her desk.

It was at this point that Natsuki knew something was wrong. Her brothers were all aware of what she did. She told them in detail about her job whenever she got in contact with them and they asked plenty of questions about it. They also wanted to know whenever she would be on television, which was not very often, but they liked seeing her in action, even if she was just making a short speech.

"Ken-nii-san," Natsuki said. It was not a term that she used very often when it came to her "twin." In fact, she usually only used "nii-sama" or "nii-san" for Shuichi and Hiroshi. She was the most informal with Kenta.

Kenta sighed and rubbed the back of his head, as if he knew that he had been found out. "This really is a nice place…" he mumbled again.

"You've had a long time to visit. What made today the perfect time, bro?" the ebony-haired Otome inquired.

Another sigh and Kenta started pushing around imaginary rocks on the floor with his left foot. He then smiled as he locked eyes with his sister. "You know, you're a real inspiration, Natsuki."

The Second Column arched an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"You don't know it because you spend so much time looking up at us. Don't you ever wonder why sometimes you don't see us? It's because we're not up there," he remarked, motioning to the sky.

Natsuki scratched her forehead. He was losing her with this analogy. "Kenta, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you, baby bro! Because you're the youngest, you think you're always following us, but that's not true. You think we're your inspiration, but it's the other way around. You inspire us, but we're too stupid to do anything with the knowledge that you bring to us!" Kenta proclaimed, laughing a little with a grin in his face, but a sorrow in his eyes.

A pale forehead wrinkled. "Kenta, what the hell are you going on about?" she asked, wanting to save herself the headache. She then took a calming breath because she needed to stay mellow. The baby often got excited whenever Natsuki did and she would roll around like her womb was a meadow.

"Dude! You showed up at home with a woman on your arm that you wanted to marry and you went through with it, even though you know that Mom and Dad—Mom especially—would freak the hell out! Do you know how much courage that had to take? You didn't put up with their shit when they started going about who you were going to marry and it wasn't going to be Shizuru! But, then you go and prove them wrong, showing them that it was going to be Shizuru. I couldn't believe that! We couldn't believe that!" The "we" meant the other Kruger brothers.

The Otome waved it off. "It was nothing. I love Shizuru more than anything."

Kenta nodded. "Don't you get how much courage that took? Hell, we didn't even know it was possible for two women to have feelings for each other, but you come with a woman on your arm and you stand through all sorts of bullshit to keep her right there. I mean, this would have been amazing if it was a guy because you picked him for yourself, but it being a woman made it even more amazing. I know you know that."

Natsuki shrugged. "It was tough, but I love Shizuru. She's my goddess," she replied honestly. She would do anything for that woman, including endure a cocktail of drugs that almost never agreed with her body for almost a year to have her baby.

Kenta nodded. "That's what I mean! You have the courage to go after the woman you love instead just accepting some bullshit guy from Mom and Dad."

"Uh…okay…" Natsuki had a feeling this was going somewhere, but she honestly did not want to guess where. If it was going where she suspected it was, she knew that she and Kenta were going to be in a lot of trouble.

"We never had the courage. Hell, we didn't even have the courage to find love. We just accepted what Mom and Dad gave us, no matter how miserable it made us, and you know it made us miserable."

Natsuki nodded. She knew the "us" he was referring to would be her brothers and the "it" seemed to be their wives. All of her brothers, except for the eldest Shuichi, had been forced into marriages with high-ranking noblewomen. Shuichi escaped that by eloping with his wife Nadia, who was a Senator in Aries, where the couple now resided. Out of her brothers, Shuichi was the only one happily married with a spouse that the rest of the Kruger siblings could stand; their status-conscious parents did not care much for Nadia.

"I know, Kenta. I know and because I saw how miserable you guys were, that's how I knew I couldn't let that happen to me. I love Shizuru and I would do anything to keep her in my life. She's the love of my life," Natsuki pointed out.

"I know. I've seen you with her, after all. Just like I've seen Shuichi with Nadia. I want what you guys have," the blond stated.

Natsuki blinked hard and shook her head in confusion. "You want…? Okay, wait, slow down. What exactly are you saying, Kenta? What's going on?"

"I left Sakura," he proclaimed in a proud voice, tilting his chin to the side in a show of victory.

For a moment, Natsuki was certain that the room started spinning. Shaking her head, the spinning halted, but it did not shake the words out of her head. She could not believe what she just heard, so she decided to ask again to be sure.

"You left Sakura?" Natsuki repeated.

"Yes," he confirmed with a proud grin.

"What exactly do you mean by 'left'?" she asked, the diplomat in her starting to take over and think of ways to cover his ass and the Kruger family's collective ass. Not to mention the entire country of Saxas.

"I left her. I packed my bags, told her I can't take this shit or her shit anymore, and marched my ass out of the house!" He was so proud that Natsuki did not have the heart to tell him what a stupid move that was, but she could not blame him. He had put up with a lot of crap and abuse from Sakura for seven years. So, she decided not to blame him for a rather poor decision of just leaving.

"Do Mom and Dad know you left?" the younger Kruger asked curiously.

"No, I don't think so. I don't think she's going to tell them right away. After all, she wouldn't want anyone to think that she doesn't have my under complete control. Anyway, I'm free and I'm going to do just like you and Shuichi-nii-sama did!" he declared with a huge grin.

Scratching her forehead, Natsuki was trying to comprehend what she was hearing. "You're out to find the love of your life?"

"Yes! What really put me over the top is that I felt the possibility. That's one of the reasons I came here."

Natsuki nodded, even though she did not understand. "What do you mean?"

"Natsuki…your friend…Nao Zhang…"

The name itself stirred a reaction in her, but the implications made it even worse. "Oh, hell no! You are not going to try to pursue a relationship with Nao! First of all, she's way too young for you! Second of all, she is an ass! She was only being sweet and kind to you because you have lots of money! She's a gold-digger," Natsuki informed her brother, really not pulling any punches because she did not want her brother to be suckered by the conniving Column.

"Natsuki, calm down," Kenta begged her, putting him arms out in front of him as if that would keep her from flying off the handle. "You told me about her already, but I felt a connection with her. We had a really long talk at the wedding and I've never spoken so freely to someone that wasn't one of my siblings. I felt like she was being open with me too. She was telling me about her hopes for the future and she did confess that she wanted to one day marry a rich person because she wants to live a comfortable life, but that doesn't make her a bad person. We have written each other a few letters over the past year too, so I think she's interested in me. Please, Nat-kun, give me this chance. Let me see if this goes anywhere. Let me find out if Nao-san is the goddess for me…"

Natsuki growled and turned away, so she could not see the pathetic look in his eyes. This was bad on so many levels. One, her brother—her "twin"—actually wanted to try a relationship with the most annoying woman on the planet! Two, her brother had essentially run away from home. Their parents were possibly going to have dual heart attacks and strokes when they found out. Then there was the major thing that her brother might have started an international incident, but obviously that was not on his mind. He was just happy to be free of seven years of torment and she could not begrudge him that.

Natsuki sighed. "Are you sure that Nao might be the one?" she inquired, wanting just an ounce of good news here and for that good news for her brother to tell her that he was kidding about Nao.

Kenta sighed too. "I wouldn't say that, but I would like to explore the possibility. Is that all right?"

A hand went through obsidian locks. Was it all right? No! Hell, no in fact! There were all kinds of things wrong with it, but she could not in good conscience send her brother back to that bitch he was married to. She was going to have to work something out without troubling Kenta. He deserved some happiness and she hoped that eventually his brain would catch up to his impulsive behavior.

"Kenta…" Natsuki sighed again. "If you think Nao might be the one, I have no right to stand in the way of that. You should be able to explore if she is the one for you. I do want you to think this over and think about your actions."

Kenta arched an eyebrow. "You really are different at work."

Natsuki nodded. Yeah, at work she was not the irresponsible "baby bro" that could just run around like a maniac! People depended on her to think things through and make rational decisions. Something that she did not have to worry about with her brothers and she was starting to fear that it was something her brothers might not be familiar with at all.

"Kenta, I know this is really your first time out in the real world, so try to take it easy, please," Natsuki implored him. All of them had been given very sheltered lives, but it got even worse when Shuichi left home and then started changing while off in Aries. Their parents had been so shocked by his change that they tried to tighten the reins on their other children. Natsuki was not sure what her brother would do completely free and high off of his own independence.

"I'll be fine!" The blond Kruger waved his sister off. "I made it all the way here without getting into trouble, right?" he pointed out.

"You got me there."

"Now, I booked a hotel room and everything. I'm under a different name, hoping it'll keep Sakura from finding me before I figure out how to explain this to Mom and Dad and get a divorce. Is it all right for me to come back here later and talk to Nao-san? I know that guys being on campus around here is probably rare and I don't want to cause any problems."

"You can come and visit her just like you did with me. It would probably be best that you hang out off campus, though. You might make some of the students uncomfortable. Or you might make a lot of them curious and then you'll never be rid of them," Natsuki remarked.

"I could be like the Garderobe mascot!" he quipped with a laugh.

Natsuki chuckled and shook her head. "You don't know how true that is. But, really, if the girls see you talking to Zhang, they're going to get curious. If they find out that you're my brother, which they will since you told Kyoko, then you're going to be one serious walking oddity. They're going to have all sorts of stories about you."

Kenta laughed. "I think I can handle it. I am a trained soldier, after all."

"A trained soldier on the run from his wife," Natsuki pointed out. She really did not want to burst his bubble completely and point out that he was a pilot and unless he had a plane in his suitcase, he was not going to be able to do much.

Kenta's shoulders dropped and he put on a pitiful puppy look. "That was just mean."

"That's why I'm a principal," she commented with a smile. "Well, bro, I would like to be able to talk more, but I need to get some work done."

The blond man nodded. "I understand. Do you think you and Shizuru will meet me later for dinner? I'd like to hang out with you guys while I'm here too."

"Sure. I'll have to run the idea by Shizuru to make sure she didn't start cooking. Thanks for coming by," Natsuki said with a smile.

"Thanks for having me. Now, I think I'm going to try to apologize to your receptionist. The way she was looking at me, I'm sure I insulted her somehow. I don't know how, though," he commented, sheepishly scratching his cheek.

The principal did not have the nerve to tell him that he did not do anything, but Kyoko was overprotective of her and whom she allowed into the office. Kenta left with a smile on his face and Natsuki threw herself into her seat. Shaking her head and groaning a bit, she put her hand to enlarged stomach as she could feel the telltale signs of the upset baby.

"Okay, listen, little girl, I don't like this as much as you don't, but you being temperamental about it and rolling about in there doesn't help either of us. Now, if you stop crying about things for a moment, I'll lie down on the couch and we can have a nap."

The baby seemed to agree with that. Natsuki was quickly horizontal on her sofa and unconscious just as fast. She did not want to think about the trouble her brother just brought into her life right now. But, she did commend him for finally standing up for himself. Their parents had controlled their lives for too long and it was about time they started to take back that power. It did not occur to her that she had done that a long time ago.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki and Shizuru meet Kenta for dinner. Nao shows up in the next chapter too.


	5. Can't take it

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

5: Can't take it

Shizuru hummed as she entered Natsuki's office, knowing that her beloved would be in the middle of her afternoon nap. Pushing her usual cart of tea, she also had a light snack for Natsuki. Lunchtime had passed already, but Natsuki tended to have a couple of snacks in between lunch and dinner. Shizuru took that as a good sign; their baby was growing strong and healthy…making Natsuki very hungry.

A small smile adorned the proud mother-to-be's face as she saw her spouse lying on the couch. She went to sit down, lifting Natsuki's head up and placing it in her lap. For a moment, she cradled Natsuki's head and stroked her soft, straight black hair. It did not take long for her hand to stray from the head, working its way down until it rested on Natsuki's stomach. Gently, she caressed Natsuki's swollen belly.

"Hello there, precious child. Are you mommy's most precious baby? Yes, you are," Shizuru cooed in a low tone, not wanting to wake her exhausted beloved.

At six months pregnant, Shizuru was very stunned that Natsuki was still able to keep the child a secret. Not so much keep her a secret, but that no one was certain that Natsuki was pregnant. Their daughter was getting very big, though, and soon there would be no hiding her. Ever since that first incident three months ago, they had not had any problems with the baby, just as Natsuki promised.

"Natsuki is so honest and pure," Shizuru muttered with love and awe in her voice. "I hope our baby is just like her. Yes, precious treasure, you should be like Natsuki-mama. She is much better than I am."

"Not true…" Natsuki mumbled, snuggling deeper into her wife's lap. A content sigh escaped her lips.

Shizuru smiled a bit, even though she was surprised that her spouse was awake. "Bad Natsuki. Natsuki should have told me that she was awake," she pretended to scold the younger woman, amusement peppering her tone.

"It's no big deal," Natsuki assured her.

"I should not have been so loud, I suppose," Shizuru sighed, shaking her head in disappointment at herself.

"No, the food woke up me, actually. I think someone's hungry," the pale woman remarked, putting her hand on her belly. Her fingers brushed up against her lover's hand. The contact made them both smile.

"When isn't she hungry?" Shizuru asked with a laugh. Their daughter had certainly changed her wife's appetite. The Second Column had her three square meals a day with plenty of snacks in between.

Natsuki smiled and chuckled along with her wife. Shizuru moved off of the sofa as her lover sat up. Going over to the cart, Shizuru poured them both some tea. She then pulled out a plate of finger sandwiches, along with several types of dips that Natsuki was allowed and suddenly was quite fond. Shizuru did not eat the finger sandwiches; they were all for the principal.

"These are good," Natsuki purred as she shoved a sandwich in her mouth after covering it in dip. She always said that about everything that she ate. Shizuru was pretty sure that Natsuki lost her taste buds somewhere in the beginning stages of the pregnancy.

"I'm glad. Was Natsuki's nap good?"

The younger woman nodded while smiling impishly. "Oh! Before I laid down for my nap, I got a pretty good surprise."

Shizuru tilted her head in a puzzled manner. "Surprise? Who would dare surprise my Natsuki? Do they not know how jealous I can be!" she joked, smiling brightly.

Natsuki continued to smile. "My twin showed up today."

"Kenta? Now that is a nice surprise!" The older woman clapped in approval, but she noticed that Natsuki did not look quite as overjoyed as she thought her spouse would look if one of her brothers just showed up out of the blue.

The Second Column sighed and shook her head. "Not quite nice. Kenta's run away from his home, his wife."

"Oh. But, surely that doesn't affect Natsuki," Shizuru pointed out. "It is his private affair."

"I wish. He told Sakura he wants a divorce, so he can chase after Nao of all people."

Shizuru arched an eyebrow. "Once again, it is his private affair. He and Nao seemed to get along very well. Do you really have a problem with that? I know you don't hate Nao. She just annoys you, much like a little sister would."

Natsuki shrugged and scoffed. "You know I wouldn't know about that. Honestly, I don't give a damn about him chasing Nao as long as she doesn't string him along. What bothers me is that Sakura is the princess of a neighboring country that never really got on with Saxas. We've always had a pretty rough relationship. Her marriage to Kenta was supposed to be a way to smooth things over."

Shizuru nodded in understanding. "This is going to cause one huge wrinkle. Does he realize that?"

"I'm sure it'll come to him, but right now, he's just so happy to be free of her, I don't think he's thinking about anything beyond being out in the world without having to hear her nagging voice. Still, this could possibly be big trouble."

"Natsuki shouldn't worry about that. She has our precious treasure to worry about," Shizuru pointed out, cuddling Natsuki's stomach. Over the past few months, they had both been able to keep Natsuki's stress levels down, which helped work magic with the baby. She would like to keep it that way, so that they felt safe enough to tell their families about their sweet little girl.

Natsuki smiled. "Don't think our precious treasure isn't making it known that she doesn't want me to worry. She tossed and turned the whole time her uncle was here. But, I can't help it, Shizuru. I know he was in a horrible situation, but I think he accidentally made it worse."

A teasing smile adorned the older woman's face. "You Krugers are good at that."

"We are. Family was probably cursed many generations ago or something," the emerald-eyed Otome remarked, scratching her cheek a little. "I think what really bothers me is the fact that I was just considering that we tell our families about the little one…"

Shizuru blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, there are a few reasons for it. Mostly, I feel like we've made it over the hump, baby. We've made it three months without another incident. Our treasure is calm and not causing any serious problems. I think she wants the world to know about her."

The tawny-haired woman nodded. "I suppose that much is true. She has been very well behaved these past few months."

"Plus, she's not going to be a secret for long. I know when I know everyone's talking about me, it has to be obvious and I know that everyone's wondering why I'm getting fatter and trying to hide it. I know your parents will never forgive me if they don't find out from us." The principal sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"But?"

"I can't tell my parents now because I don't want to add to any stress that they'll be feeling. They're going to be worried out of their mind about Kenta. When we get back home, I'm sure we'll have a million messages from them, wanting to know if I've heard from Kenta. My brothers, aside from Shuichi-nii-sama, they've never been far from home and my parents still think of them as kids, so they're going to be worried about him. I don't want to add in that I'm pregnant and add stress to them," Natsuki explained in a soft tone.

Shizuru smiled and took her wife's hand, even though it was sticky from the dip. "My dearest one is so considerate of others. That's one of the reasons I love her."

A weak laugh escaped the principal. "You're not going to love me so much when I continue. I don't want to tell your parents yet either because my parents will get upset if they find out that I told your parents first…"

"Quite the catch-22." Shizuru sighed, shaking her head now. "I suppose our parents will just have to kill us then. As long as it keeps you from worrying about our precious treasure." Her hand touched Natsuki's swollen stomach.

Natsuki smiled a little. "Shizuru, I was wondering…since we always refer to her as 'our precious treasure' what do you think of the name Takara?" she suggested.

"Perfect. Now I don't have to change what I've been calling her," Shizuru declared with a light laugh.

"That makes two of us," Natsuki commented before curling into her spouse. "I'm sorry, baby. I know how much you really want to tell your parents about her. I want to shout it from the mountain tops too. I'm going to try to sort this thing out with my twin quickly. I promise."

"Do not worry about it, Natsuki. My main concerns are Natsuki and little Takara. Everything else is secondary."

Natsuki sighed contently. "Shizuru takes such good care of us…"

Shizuru leaned down to kiss Natsuki's forehead to discover that she had fallen back asleep. They really needed to find out when Youko was going to switch Natsuki's medication because her current ones made her almost narcoleptic.

* * *

Kenta sighed and checked his watch for what he was sure the millionth time in the last ten seconds. He was sitting at a table in a restaurant that was inside of the hotel that he was staying in. Knowing his baby sister as he did, he was not surprised that she was late, but he was getting anxious over it. He knew that he had upset her that afternoon and he wanted to see her to gauge just how much he needed to apologize.

"I need to ask her why she's getting so fat too. Don't they have gyms up at that big, fancy school of hers?" Kenta wondered aloud. He then chuckled. "Like I have room to speak. We're both getting older, so I guess it's only natural for her to gain a little weight and she's stuck behind a desk most of the time."

His musings were cut off as he noticed Shizuru and Natsuki enter the restaurant; it was not the only thing he noticed either. The couple came in as if they were the most elegant, regal beings on the planet. Everyone saw them come in and everyone kept watching them as they gave off an almost divine aura. There was something about that that made everyone eye them all the way to the table, Kenta included.

He noted that there was something different about the couple now. Even though all they were doing was walking toward him, it seemed as if there was a shift between them since last he saw them. Shizuru was the one guiding Natsuki, holding her about the waist. After they all greeted each other, Shizuru was the one that took Natsuki's jacket. Shizuru was the one that pulled out Natsuki's chair. This all seemed backwards from what he recalled and it sort of bugged him out for a moment.

"Nat-kun, I thought you were the guy," Kenta declared and then quickly blushed as he realized what he said. The couple laughed at him.

"Kenta, it doesn't work that way. You don't have to think of relationships solely on guy/girl terms. I know that's how it's defined in your mind, but a lot of them don't work that way, not even in heterosexual relationships," Natsuki pointed out. Although she was pretty impressed that he noticed Shizuru was the one doing the things that she had done when they were in Saxas. Typically, she preferred to do those things, but because of her condition, Shizuru had reversed their roles. For the moment, she did not mind, but the second she could, she was going to reverse things again.

Kenta laughed and scratched his cheek. "You're right. I'm sorry I'm acting like a hick. This is still new to me, even though I don't mind."

"It's fine. So, have you made any contact with Nao yet?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"No, I haven't. I only have the address to her apartment on your campus. Nothing else to reach her by. Is it all right for me to go back to your school tomorrow?" he requested.

Natsuki shrugged. "I don't see why not. Just try not to harass anyone."

"I don't harass people," Kenta huffed, looking pretty indignant.

"Okay, try not to get in the way of anybody." This got a giggle out of Shizuru.

Kenta folded his arms across his chest and continued to look upset. "Shizuru-chan, you shouldn't side with her. You're supposed to be my good sister."

Natsuki burst out laughing and jabbed her thumb in her wife's direction. "Boy has she got you bamboozled!"

Shizuru only smiled, unable to dispute that one. A waiter, who came over to take their orders, interrupted the conversation. Kenta decided not to say anything about it seeming weird that Shizuru ordered for Natsuki. After that, the waiter was gone and they were silent for a moment.

"So, are you going to call Mom and Dad and let them know what's going on?" Natsuki asked.

"I've thought about it, but I can't do that yet. You know the second I start talking them, they're going to do nothing but yell and take me on the longest possible guilt trip ever to get me to go back to Sakura. They'll probably tell her where I am too and she'll come here and make things miserable for me. I want to see if anything can happen between me and Nao-san first. I don't want them to mess that up for me. You know how they can be, Nat-kun," the blond male explained.

The principal sighed; yes, she certainly knew how her parents could be. They were pushy and smothering, always swearing that they knew what was right for their children. One of the reasons the Kruger siblings were so close was because their parents hardly allowed them real friends. And apparently the only way for a Kruger to find someone to open their heart to and love was to be out of their parents' watchful, damning eye.

Natsuki put her arms on the table to rest her chin on her knuckles. Shizuru caressed Natsuki's back, knowing that she was now in a very tough position. Natsuki was not sure what she was going to do or what she should do even. She decided to drop the whole thing for right now and just enjoy her brother's company. Once she made that decision, dinner was very pleasant for everyone involved.

The worrying came back when she got home with Shizuru. It took a lot of dirty tricks to get Natsuki to stop pacing the living room, debating on if she should check the voicemail, which they knew was full. Natsuki was sure every message was from her parents. Shizuru had to pull more tricks to coax Natsuki into bed and even then, she continued fidgeting. Shizuru wrapped her arms around her wife, hoping to get her to stop moving.

"If Natsuki keeps dancing, she will keep me up all night," Shizuru said, turning the ebony-haired woman into their now-usual spooning position. Sleeping on her stomach was no longer than option for Natsuki and she found sleeping flat on her back to be oddly uncomfortable.

"Do you think I should tell them? Or at least talk to them? I mean, Kenta is right. Once they get involved, his chances at anything will be shot to hell. The only way for any of us to keep our sanity is to get away for them, even if it's only for a little while. He and the others have it worse since they still live in Saxas, on royal grounds. With how controlling they are, they'd never let him get a divorce and they'd never approve of Nao. She's a foreigner, an orphan, has no status at all to them, and no money. He might as well want to be build a relationship with a roach as far as they'll be concerned!"

Shizuru chuckled a bit. "Then Natsuki has figured out what she's going to do."

"Huh?"

"You're going to give your brother the chance he asked for. You want him to have a chance, just like you did and like Shuichi-onii-sama, correct?"

Natsuki nodded. "I guess so," she sighed. "And what's this Shuichi-onii-sama crap?"

"What? You call him that, so I believed that it would be okay for me to do the same. I am also his sister now, right?" Shizuru remarked in a light tone.

Natsuki chuckled. "You just be careful. Those Kruger men will corrupt you and take away all of your femininity," she joked.

Shizuru purred and ran her fingers along her spouse's swollen abdomen. "They haven't taken all of yours…"

"No, I saved this last bit just for you," Natsuki said, putting her hand on top of Shizuru's.

"How kind of you. My dear, sweet Natsuki, always thinking of me."

Natsuki chuckled and mumbled something that sounded nostalgically like "idiot." Shizuru fell asleep with a smile on her face and her hand on Natsuki's tummy.

* * *

Kenta took a deep breath as he gathered up the remainder of his courage. He had already used most of it that morning to call Natsuki and find out where Nao's apartment was on campus. Natsuki had arranged for her receptionist to show him, as long as he showed up at the right time. Kyoko was a lot more cordial toward Kenta the second time around; he suspected it was because she knew he really was related to the principal now. Kyoko walked him to Nao's door with a smile on her face, partially put there because she thought it was sweet that he had a small bouquet of flowers with him. Natsuki recommended that he purchase those before coming over.

"Um…Nao-onee-sama tends to be very grumpy…all day…" Kyoko tried to warn him. She wanted to tell him that she was grumpy in the mornings, but really the grumpiness just transformed into snippiness as the day progressed.

Kenta smiled, looking handsome and thankful. "I know how that is. I'm pretty grumpy when I get woken up too."

"You're just like the Headmistress then, even though you don't look anything alike."

Kenta chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek. "Well, she is pretty much my twin. Although I'm actually older."

"I know," Kyoko replied with a smile. "I'm from Ires. You know the really tiny island to the north of Saxas."

"I know of it." He did not bother to mention that the island was very weak and had been taken over by almost every other nation in the area at some point in its history. It was independent now and apparently looking to stay that way by having an Otome to help protect it.

"Well, I've heard about the Kruger royal family and everything. I never really saw pictures of how you looked or anything, but I have heard stuff. At first, I thought that the Headmistress might be the princess, but she never says anything about it, so I thought it could be a coincidence. But, when you came and you said your name, I was able to put it together. I'm very pleased to meet you, ouji-sama," Kyoko said with a neat bow.

Kenta could not help laughing. "I'm actually more pleased to meet you. Please continue to take care of my baby sister. And you can all me Kenta."

Kyoko smiled brightly. "I will, to both. I also wish you luck. If you're anything like our Headmistress, then Nao-onee-sama will be lucky to have you. And it seems like the Headmistress has faith in you, so I'll root for you."

"Thank you."

Kyoko nodded and then ran off, leaving Kenta to knock on the door. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard as he raised his hand to knock on the plain door. His knuckles did not meet the wood, though.

"Shit, I feel like an idiot…" he muttered. His body was starting to tremble and he wondered how other people managed to handle these things. He felt so immature and rapidly all of the courage and confidence he had before rushed out of him. "This was stupid. Why would she want a simpleton like me? I don't have any world experience. She was probably just humoring me at the wedding and those couple of letters we exchanged. I should just go home…"

Kenta had no idea how much he resembled his "twin" at the moment. He turned, ready to leave, but then thought about how much trouble he would cause by chickening out. He also thought about his eldest brother and his baby sister. They did not tuck their tails between their legs and run away when it came to their women! So, damn it, he was not either. He spun around and knocked quickly before he had time to think about what he was doing. Before he knew it, his hand was knocking in a rush, in a manner most inappropriately after a while.

"All right, goddamn it! Who the hell is just trying to knock down the fucking door?" Nao roared from inside of the apartment.

Kenta jumped back from the surprise yelling, but he started laughing when he realized what happened. The smile did not leave his face as the door was ripped open and the most ferocious, scariest redhead he would ever face was glaring at him. He gulped and once again his hand acted without his brain. He shoved the flowers up in her face.

"For…you…!" the blond prince stammered.

Nao blinked hard from shock. "Kenta-kun?" she said, voice sounding stunned and far from grumpy.

"Um…surprise…" he muttered in an unsure tone. She was able to recover when she noticed how bashful he was.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nao demanded to know, looking up and down the hallway as if she expected something. Nothing happened, though. She was not even sure what she thought was going to happen.

"I came to see you. Kinda thought that was obvious," he remarked, forcing a confident, though somewhat awkward half-smile on his face.

Nao snorted through her nose as if she was thoroughly pissed off. Honestly, she was just so surprised to see him that she was not sure how to act. She suspected that treating him as she treated Natsuki would be fine for right now. From there, she would figure out what to do with him.

"Well, since you came to see me, I guess I can spare a little of my time for you. Gimme a moment to get ready," Nao said and she did not give him a chance to respond. She shut the door in his face.

Once the door was shut, Nao leaned against it and let out a long sigh. She was not sure what was going on, but she was determined to keep her cool and keep her wits about her. This could be something very big.

"Shit, I can't leave him out there for too long or he might leave like that stupid dog would!" Nao realized, referring to Natsuki when saying "that stupid dog." She rushed off to get ready and not leave Kenta standing in the hall for too long.

* * *

Natsuki eased into her desk while putting her hand over her mouth to cover up a yawn. She had only been awake for thirty minutes, but it felt like thirty years. Her schedule called for two hours of work and then a thirty-minute nap. The goal of getting to her nap was great motivation.

"I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over just so I can stop looking forward to naps like I'm four years old," Natsuki huffed. Lately, all she looked forward to were naps and snacks. The promise of a cookie could get more out of her nowadays than the promise of hot, passionate intimacy with her wife—something that Shizuru sometimes found insulting.

While doing her work, Natsuki glanced out of the windows and noticed a familiar redhead in the distance. Next to the redhead was spiked blond hair. The two figures appeared to be laughing. This put a smile on Natsuki's face.

"I hope they're kind to each other. I'll break Nao's face if she breaks his heart," Natsuki vowed. Deep down, a piece of her admitted that she would do the same to him if he broke Nao's heart.

When Natsuki realized that odd feeling deep down, she decided that it was time for her nap. She was thinking weird things, after all. She flopped down on the couch and was out seconds later.

The blaring of the phone caused Natsuki to shoot up from the sofa so quickly that she made herself dizzy. The noise felt like it pierced her brain each time it sounded, so she wanted it to end immediately, if not sooner. Yanking the new phone that was placed next to the couch just because of these habitual naps, she grumbled her greeting in to the phone like an angry bear.

"Natsuki-chan?" a very familiar voice scolded her.

"Mom?" Natsuki muttered in confusion.

"Yes. Have you seen Kenta? We've been looking everywhere for him. He started a huge fight with Sakura-san and then stormed off. He hasn't been back home for days and he hasn't been to the palace either! Have you heard from him or anything?" Saeko inquired, sounding rather frantic.

"Kenta…?" the principal echoed as if she did not know what sort of thing a "Kenta" was.

"Your brother! I've spoken to your other brothers and they haven't seen him! Have you?" her mother begged to know. From the sound of her voice, she was probably seconds away from sobbing.

"Kenta…" Natsuki scratched her forehead and just thought about how much she really wanted to go back to sleep.

"Yes, Kenta! Why are you acting so brain-damaged! Your brother is missing!"

"Okay, Mom, calm down," Natsuki said as it finally registered to her slow mind that her mother was beside herself with worry. "Kenta is a grown man. I'm sure he's fine."

"Fine? He could be dead in a field for all we know!"

"Mom, calm down. In most parts of the world, when a man is almost thirty and he decides to get lost for a few days, his mother doesn't have a stroke over it. He's a grown man, Mom. He is almost thirty."

"You've seen him, haven't you? He's called you and that's why you're so calm!"

Natsuki rubbed her head. "Mom, I'm not a raving lunatic right now like you. Kenta is a grown man married to a very annoying woman. I'm surprised he hasn't needed a break from her sooner."

"Natsuki!"

"Mom, screaming at me and going out of your mind is not helping. I'm telling you, he's more than likely fine," Natsuki stated and then she thought about him with Nao. _He better be fine or I'll kill her!_

"How do you know that?" Saeko inquired suspiciously.

"Because he's a grown man, Mom! And I know if I went missing for a few days, I wouldn't be dead in a field somewhere." _Right now, I'd be dead on the couch_. She felt like she could sleep for days and the thought of something so pleasing made her rub her stomach.

"He's never done this before!"

"Because he was suffering quietly. Now, he's suffering from a distance."

"You know something."

"I know many things, Mom. Like I know I have to get back to work, so I have to go. Sorry." Natsuki hung up before her mother could object. She sighed and turned her attention to her window. "Kenta, you better make good use of this time because I get the feeling it's going to be over soon." She knew that her parents—her mother especially—would not stop until they found Kenta.

* * *

Next time: Enter the sister-in-law.


	6. Unwelcomed guest

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

6: Unwelcomed guest

Natsuki was working while thoughts of tea and cakes danced through her head. She only had to work for fifteen more minutes and then her beloved would be in with her mid-morning snack. She had been promised coffee cake today for being so cooperative yesterday during her weekly checkup with Youko. Smacking her lips together, she quickly signed a paper and pressed through a bunch tedious authorization forms. It was annoying, but necessary since pretty much everything in Garderobe needed permission for usage. She had to carefully read each one too, because sometime Miss Maria would slip a fake one in there to see if she was paying attention.

"I wonder if she was ever a redhead," Natsuki muttered, referring to Miss Maria. To her, redheads were put on the planet to make her life exceptionally difficult. Of course, no redhead topped Nao.

Nao was currently making Natsuki's life difficult by playing coy with Kenta. He could not figure out where he stood with her and so he continuously called Natsuki for advice. Sometimes, he called every few minutes, not sure what he was supposed to do or say in some situation. Natsuki did not want to tell him that he was certainly calling the wrong person, but she helped as best she could…even though she did not approve of him being with Nao, she constantly reminded herself.

Oddly enough, Nao was starting to call her too, wanting to know more about her brother. Natsuki thought Nao was just looking for a way to make Kenta's life hard, even though she was succeeding without any help. Natsuki wanted to just tell her brother to drop Nao, but she could tell he was growing more infatuated with her as time went by. So, she spoke with them, offering whatever support she could.

"It's not my problem. I don't care. I have my own crap to focus on. Remember, Natsuki, coffee cake. Coffee cake is the goal," she said to drive herself to work faster.

The principal made a conscious effort to stop thinking about her brother and the redheaded she-demon he was so head-over-heels for. Continuing to fly through her work, her head popped up when she heard her door open. Hoping to see Shizuru, she grinned until she noticed who it was. Her expression returned to a much more neutral position.

"Kyoko, what are you doing here?" Natsuki asked her young receptionist. "You shouldn't be here until noon." She would not allow Kyoko to miss any classes just because she was working for her. So, Kyoko's schedule was from noon to one. She then returned at three and stayed until six. Sometimes, Kyoko would come in before her classes started, so that Natsuki was not on her own for the entire morning, but from nine to noon no matter what the principal answered her own phones, did her own filing, and fetched her own paperwork…unless Shizuru was around.

"Um…I'm not here because of that," Kyoko answered, taking a great interest in tugging on the hem of her uniform. She slowly walked over to the headmistress and handed her a paper.

Natsuki sighed, recognizing a referral when she saw one. She knew what the things looked like long before she became a part of the Garderobe staff. Emerald eyes scanned the small, pink paper quickly, wanting to pinpoint what the usual well-behaved and quiet Kyoko had done.

"Fighting?" Natsuki accidentally shouted. Her eyes went wide in disbelief, having to reread the paper to make sure that she read it correctly.

Kyoko flinched from the unexpected tone and took a step back. Natsuki cleared her throat, hoping that would cover up her slip. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed and schooled her features to be calm and cool. She then turned her questioning green eyes to the fidgety student before her.

"Why were you fighting, Kyoko? And who were you fighting with? You're usually the model student and you don't have trouble with anyone," Natsuki commented. In fact, she would describe Kyoko as very amicable, even though she was shy. Still, she made sure to mind her manners and was friendly to most people.

"Um…I was fighting because of…well, there were these girls and they were watching Kenta-sama talk with Nao-onee-sama," Kyoko started. Natsuki nodded, silently noting that Kyoko had referred to her brother by name. "Okay, so I approached them and asked them not to disturb such a private moment and they started laughing. They said there was nothing private about it because Kenta-sama was a loser and he was too low-class for someone like Nao-onee-sama. So, I told them that he wasn't a loser and that he was your brother and they just laughed more. And then I said he was a prince and Nao-onee-sama was very fortunate that someone was so interested in her and they laughed even more. They said so many horrible things about Kenta and I was starting to get mad. So, I defended him more."

"Is this where you started throwing punches?" Natsuki asked dryly.

"Uh…no, that comes later. It's when they started calling our countries backwards and saying that only a hick like me could root for a hick like Kenta that I got really upset. They were attacking so many things about us for no reason…" Kyoko sniffled and rubbed her eye with the back of her hand.

Natsuki nodded. "These girls, have they made fun of where you're from before?"

Kyoko nodded miserably. "All the time. I usually just ignore them, but this time… Well, I promised Kenta-sama I would root for him and I think Nao-onee-sama is lucky to have him trying to court her. I didn't think it was right for them to try to put him down and mock his effort just because Nao-onee-sama is acting so distant."

"Acting?" Natsuki echoed, thinking that was a strange word to use.

"Nao-onee-sama pretends that she doesn't like him, but you can see in her eyes that she does. Plus, sometimes, she calls me over to ask me little customs and stuff about Saxas because she knows I'm from that region. Sometimes, she wants to know the meaning behind some of the things he does and she gets this funny smile on her face when I tell her."

"So, she really likes him?" the principal inquired. She never got to see the pair up close to observe and analyze them.

Kyoko nodded. "It seems that way. I'm sorry about the fighting," she apologized with a whimper.

Natsuki sighed and scratched her head. "Where are the other girls?"

"Miss Maria."

Natsuki winced; okay, someone had shown Kyoko a lot of mercy. "Who sent you to me?"

"Miss Maria."

_Oh_, Natsuki thought. Well, that let her know that Kyoko was actually seen as less wrong than the other girls. The teasing was probably much worse than Kyoko let on then, and she did not mean the teasing that went on today. Those girls probably ruthlessly tormented Kyoko since arrival and Miss Maria was tired of them.

"Okay, Kyoko, are you very sorry for getting into a fight?" Natsuki asked.

With a pathetic nod, Kyoko affirmed that she was. "I'm sorry."

"And you do realize that was very un-Otome like behavior, correct?"

Another nod. "I know." There were some sniffles and she wiped her eyes again with the back of her hand. She felt so bad, knowing that she let Natsuki down. The principal could see the sorrow and remorse written all over her face.

"Okay, so I want you to write an essay explaining why your behavior was wrong and what you could have done differently in that situation, like consider having a botou. One that is authorized and properly conducted," Natsuki stated in a firm tone.

Kyoko blinked hard, shocked by that punishment. "Is that all I have to do?" She could not believe that was it. Miss Maria would have been so much harsher with her.

"That's pretty much it. Kyoko, I know how it is to be from a very foreign country while being here, especially regions that people don't know a lot about. When I was here, I was teased, not just about where I was from, but also how I acted. You really can't do anything about other people's mean-streaks, except ignore them and prove them wrong. You're one of the top Pearls in your class and you have a very important job. What do they have?"

"Uh…" It was not in Kyoko's nature to badmouth others, so she was not too sure what to say. "…They have nice hair…" she offered weakly.

"And probably not much going on underneath it. They might just be jealous of you. So, don't let it get you down. Keep supporting Kenta too. He'll need it."

Kyoko nodded. She was silent for a moment and then decided to make a comment. "Um…I can see why the Headmistress referred to Kenta-sama as her twin."

Natsuki smiled a little. "Can you?"

"When he is with Nao-onee-sama, he is like you when you're with Shizuru-onee-sama."

Natsuki bristled at that revelation. She could not understand what her brother saw in Nao and she really did not want to know. She dismissed Kyoko, who left with a spring in her step because she was not in as much trouble as she thought. Natsuki got back to work, but seconds after Kyoko left, Shizuru entered. It was now Natsuki's turn to bounce.

"Coffee cake!" the principal cooed, going so far as to clap.

"Natsuki doesn't even bother to greet her poor wife," Shizuru sighed dramatically, pushing her usual cart to a halt.

"Hey, my beautiful, wonderful, delightful, caring, sexy goddess," Natsuki purred as she made her way to the couch. She placed a grateful peck on Shizuru's cheek on the way.

Another dramatic sigh. "Ara, ara, I suppose such an over-the-top response does deserve a coffee cake and maybe some tea."

"Oh, with honey? With honey?" Natsuki asked eagerly. Her movements kind of reminded Shizuru of an excited puppy; the bright look in green eyes were similar to a puppy's eyes when it wanted something. She could already tell what the new medications were doing to her poor, pregnant beloved.

"Yes, there will be honey."

The Second Column grinned and was very close to clapping again, but she seemed to realize what she was doing. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to settle herself. She was allowed two coffee cakes and her usual cup of tea. After happily devouring her snack, Natsuki laid her head in Shizuru's lap. The brunette wasted no time caressing her wife's soft, ebony hair.

"How is Takara doing today?" Shizuru asked, her other hand going to Natsuki's belly.

"Takara is excellent today. She's very content too because her mommy let her momma have coffee cake," Natsuki answered with a content purr.

"Well, her momma was very good for her checkup. I hope that her momma is that good for the rest of the checkups."

Natsuki purred again thanks to the attention to her scalp. "I think that can be arranged if such nice massages come along with the deal."

"I think that can be arranged too," Shizuru promised in a soft tone.

A lazy smile spread across the princess' pale face. "Then we both like that."

"Good. So, Natsuki, what was Kyoko doing in here so early? If she misses classes, Miss Maria will get you," Shizuru teased.

"Miss Maria's the one that sent her to me. She got in trouble for fighting."

"And Miss Maria sent her to you? When did Garderobe turn into a normal school where the misbehaving students are sent to the principal's office?" the older woman wondered aloud. "Oh, would that work with misbehaving faculty as well?" she asked with an impish smile on her face.

"I doubt it. I think that she was sent to me because the real troublemakers were the girls picking on Kyoko. I get the impression that Miss Maria really wanted to talk to them."

"By 'talk' you mean 'spit-clean the gym floor'?"

"Probably. I remember that. Kyoko said that she usually ignores them, but get this, she was defending Kenta and that's why she ended up getting into things with them. They were making fun of Kenta and Kyoko moved in defend his honor."

"Why do I get the feeling that you should not tell him?" Shizuru asked with an amused smile.

"Yeah, male pride would be right down the tubes with that. Hey, you tend to keep up with the gossip going on. How is Kenta doing with Nao?" the younger woman asked, trying to keep her curiosity down, but she knew her wife would sense her intentions.

Shizuru smiled a bit again. "Oh, Natsuki is playing the concerned sister for both of them!"

Green eyed went wide, several emotions flashing in them. "I'm not concerned about Nao, you kook! I'm worried about Kenta."

"There is nothing to worry about. As you told your mother, he is a grown man," the Third Column pointed out. She was told all about the phone conversation that Natsuki had with her mother almost right after it happened. She was a bit concerned about leaving Saeko to worry, but Kenta was a grown man and should be trusted to handle himself. Of course, that did not stop Saeko from calling back, filling up their voicemail every single day. "You shouldn't worry either. Think about little Takara." She stroked her spouse's belly.

"Okay, I'm not worrying. I just want to know how the little player is going. I mean, he's been here for four days. Has he even gone out on a date with her or has he just spent the time wondering the city after they get off of school grounds, slipping away to call me and bug the hell out of me every ten minutes?"

"I have heard things. Kenta treated Nao to a very nice dinner, three days in a row. She's been giving him tours of the city. Off-the-beaten-path tours, she calls them."

"You've spoken to her?" Natsuki inquired in a puzzled tone. Nao certainly was speaking to quite a few people, she noted. _Maybe she's serious… _She quickly put that out of her mind, reminding herself that Nao was neither serious nor responsible.

"Just as Kenta calls you for advice every ten minutes, Nao calls me, probably while he's off talking to you. I think she likes Kenta and doesn't want to let him get away just yet. She's reluctant to say if it would develop into a relationship, but she's enjoying his friendship. He likes getting into trouble with her."

Natsuki nodded. "He was telling me about their bar fight a couple of nights back. I swear Takara has gymnastic rings from the flips she was turning as he told me that tale."

"He worried you that badly?" Shizuru reached down and stroked Natsuki's belly with both hands. "Has he asked about your pregnancy?" she inquired curiously.

"Nope. Thankfully, he's too preoccupied with Nao and he's also never seen or been around a pregnant woman before, so he thinks I've just gotten really fat."

"Oh, that is too cute!" Shizuru cooed, going so far as to make a cutesy face. "I could picture Natsuki being the same way."

The headmistress chuckled and nodded. "Honestly, the first pregnant woman I ever saw, I thought was just really fat too. Thankfully, I was in a meeting with her and I stuck to business issues."

"That is quite fortunate. Kenta has spoken on your weight gain I take it?" the brunette asked, thinking about how sheltered her wife had been as a child. It was remarkable; she could understand why Natsuki seemed like a skittish horse when she first came to Garderobe.

Natsuki nodded. "I laughed it off, but confirmed that I am gaining a lot of weight. What are we going to do, Shizuru? We can't keep putting this off, but I feel like it's inappropriate to tell my mom I'm pregnant while she's going out of her mind over Kenta."

"Give it some time, sweetheart. It's going for a good cause."

The ebony-haired Otome nodded in agreement. The rest of the time was spent in silence, except for Natsuki's content purring anyway, and some delicate petting. Natsuki was then left to her work.

She was fine on her own, even though she was tied to her desk. She took her usual nap after doing some work and Shizuru came back for lunch. They spoke about Natsuki's checkup next week and their thoughts on what they should do about their living arrangements. They were not sure if they should just move into a house before the baby was born or if they should stay in the principal's suite. They decided to start setting aside a nursery area for the baby in the suite because it did not seem like Natsuki would be done being principal anytime soon. Miss Maria was still reviewing the candidates and Natsuki was torn on who she really thought would be best to take her place. It did not help that the Columns were sending her suggestions every few days; Shizuru and Nao were included in that.

The phone ringing interrupted the couple. Shizuru was nice enough to grab it while Natsuki remained curled up in her lap. The younger woman did turn her attention to the phone, just in case her input was necessary.

"If it's my mother, I'm not here," Natsuki said. Her mother had the horrible timing of calling whenever she was trying to relax.

"Headmistress Natsuki Kruger's office. Assistant Headmistress Shizuru Kruger speaking," the brunette answered in a professional tone that made Natsuki purr. The content sound made Shizuru smile and she tenderly stroked her wife's hair.

"Hey, Shizuru-chan!" Kenta chimed in, clearly grinning.

"Kenta-kun. You sound like you're having a good time," Shizuru noted.

"I am. Nao-san is showing me around the city again and we've come into a skate park. I've been impressing her with my fantastic skateboard skills!"

Ruby eyes blinked in surprise. "I was unaware that you knew how to skateboard."

"He doesn't," Natsuki informed her wife. Shizuru nodded in understanding.

"I just wanted to let Headmistress Natsuki Kruger know that I'm not on school grounds anymore and I know she considers me a distraction, but I'm probably going to be back there later tonight because I will be walking Nao home," Kenta reported.

"I'm sure that's fine."

"Okay then. Tell Nat-kun I say hi and I want to thank her again for this chance."

"All right. Enjoy your time with Nao-san and try not to take her too seriously," Shizuru commented. He agreed and the call was disconnected. She turned her attention back to her spouse. "He is with Nao in a skate park. He claims to be showing off to her."

Natsuki shook her head. "She's probably having a very good laugh at his expense. Are you sure she likes him?"

"Of course. Liking a Kruger means you tease and taunt that Kruger as much as possible, correct?" Shizuru inquired with a thoughtful look in her eyes, going so far as to put her finger to her chin.

A pale forehead wrinkled. "You might be right," she realized. Shizuru teased her mercilessly. Nadia teased Shuichi just as badly. So, perhaps, if Nao truly did like Kenta, it would be shown through thorough teasing.

"Honestly, sweetheart, I think your brother's heart is in good hands. I'm sure she does tease him, perhaps worse than I used to do to you. But, if he hasn't complained about it yet to you, then things should be fine, correct?"

The Second Column shrugged, supposing that was correct. She shifted and buried her face into Shizuru's flat stomach. The taller woman giggled a little and continued to caress her lover's hair.

"You know you have work to do," Shizuru pointed out in a low tone.

"I don't wanna do it. Finish it for me," Natsuki whined, poking out her bottom lip and pulling off a cute puppy pout.

"But, my pet, I've already done work for you. Most of your work now consists of reading things and signing them."

"No, I have to explain why I turned down requests too. I also have to review meetings' notes to keep up to speed on things. So, could you finish it for me and then just tell me?" the principal requested.

"No, I can't do that. I have my own work to get to. Miss Maria has been secretly adding administration work to my schedule ever since I started talking other Columns into taking missions for me."

"Have they asked about why you keep pawning your work off onto them?"

Shizuru shook her head. "They seem to think it's still separation anxiety due to our recent marital status. I haven't bothered to correct them. Anything that keeps me close to you and our darling treasure is enough for me. Now, please get to work and if Natsuki's a good girl, she might be able to have chocolate chip cookies tomorrow."

Emerald eyes narrowed suspiciously. "The real kind or those fake healthy cookies you tried to poison me with before?"

"Real, of course," Shizuru promised with a smile.

That got Natsuki up and back to her desk. Shizuru sighed and shook her head. For a moment, she considered teasing Natsuki about how the Second Column never moved that fast for her anymore, but she decided against. With the chemical cocktail floating around in Natsuki's system, there was no telling how she might take it.

"Good girl," Shizuru said as she followed Natsuki to the desk. She placed a soft, chaste kiss to the side of her lover's head. "I'll be sure to make one of Natsuki's favorite meals tonight since she's being such a cooperative person."

This got a childish bounce out of Natsuki, which made Shizuru giggle. Her poor, poor Natsuki was stuck being very un-Natsuki-like for three more months. She was willing to bet that Natsuki would not bear any more children after this one. At least not while she had nanomachines in her body.

The Third Column left her beloved to her work and went to go finish with her own. Natsuki was working at her usual slow pace; she had slowed down in the past month or so. She was not sure if it was the medications disagreeing with her or if it was just because she was heavier. Slowly, but surely she went through the usual documents, checked her notes, and made sure that she had meetings marked down correctly. After making a few phone calls, thoughts of a nap started to dance through her head and distract her.

Already nodding off, she was startled awake by the sound of footsteps stomping toward her door. For a moment, she feared it might be Miss Maria, but one—she had not done anything wrong recently to get in trouble for and two—ever since finding about her pregnancy Miss Maria had taken a gentler approach to her to be cautious of the child. So, she wondered who was storming toward her door.

The door burst open and Natsuki was given a surprise that she could have done without. Entering her office without permission or request was her sister-in-law and the wayward Kenta's wife, Sakura. And she did not look very happy.

"Natsuki!" the harpy—as Natsuki thought of her sister-in-law—hollered at the top of her lungs with a satanic glint in her eyes.

"Sakura, what can I do for you?" Natsuki inquired calmly, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk in an attempt to hide her pregnancy. She was not sure if Sakura would recognize that she was carrying a child, but she did not want to chance it.

"Where is that no-good, rotten, cowardly brother of yours, you peon?" Sakura demanded, stomping over to the desk and halting in front of it to glare down at the headmistress.

Natsuki blinked; she did not even know what a peon was, but it sounded extremely unpleasant with the way that Sakura snarled it. Still, she remained calm and cool. For a second, she just enjoyed seeing her snob sister-in-law fuming like a peeved commoner. She wished that she could take a picture; she was sure her brothers would enjoy the view.

"Well, considering the fact that I have many brothers, I'm not totally sure which one you're talking about to comment on his location. Next, I would suggest you calm the hell down before I have you escorted off school grounds by security," Natsuki warned the angry noble.

"You know which brother I'm talking about! Why would I care about any of your idiot brothers aside from the fool I'm married to!"

"I haven't seen him." It was the truth in a way; she had not seen him recently. If recently meant "today" anyway. "Once again, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. I won't make the request a third time."

"I don't care what you want! I want my good-for-nothing husband back! NOW!"

Natsuki did not bat an eye. Reaching for her phone, she called for security…that happened to be the Third Column. Shizuru walked in as Sakura was screaming for her husband yet again. She stood behind the ranting woman, who did not notice the new person in the room.

"Please, remove her from school grounds immediately. Find out how she got into the school and into this building. Also, if she calms down before you get to the gate, feel free to schedule her an appointment," Natsuki requested. For a moment, Sakura was confused because she did not know whom Natsuki was talking to.

"Yes, darling," Shizuru answered with a smile. Her voice made Sakura jump in surprise and before the shorter woman could turn around to see who was there, Shizuru had her by the arm. The brunette Otome had no trouble with pulling a flailing, screaming Sakura out of the office.

Natsuki sighed now that she was alone. Rubbing her face with one hand, she started to think that there was more to this than Kenta told her. She knew it was not because he was purposely keeping the secret, but because he probably felt like he could deal with it on his own. The almost hubristic confidence was a Kruger family trait.

"But, what's so bad that he would keep it to himself from me while also running off?" Natsuki wondered.

She did not have long to think about it because Shizuru returned. The Graceful Amethyst offered her spouse a smile to help get her through the day. The principal smiled back as Shizuru took a seat on the corner of the desk as she used to do.

"So, how did she get in?" Natsuki inquired.

"Apparently, she missed her calling. She would be a splendid actress. All she did was pose as herself, but claimed to represent her kingdom and she was looking to send someone to Garderobe, so she needed to speak to you, but she did not have an appointment because she was not sure if she would be in the city today. They directed her to you because someone was kind enough to check that you had a hole in your schedule and all of her identification matched what she claimed," Shizuru explained.

Her mouth practically dropped into her lap. "No one bothered to call me?"

"That was a mistake on their part. They called Kyoko's desk instead of the office directly. They forgot that this semester she comes in an hour later."

Natsuki shook her head. "That was too easy."

"I agree. I've already made a note for us to update and upgrade our security techniques. If she had come here to harm my Natsuki, I don't know what I would have done."

"Simple, you'd have pulled me off the silly bitch and begged me not to kill her," Natsuki remarked.

Shizuru chuckled. "I suppose that is true. I arranged for her to visit again in a few days. I've also made it clear that she's not welcomed on campus and when she does come, she is to be taken straight to your office and nowhere else. She can only see you at the time I designated and they have to call you when she arrives."

"Thanks for that, babe. I think something's going on that Mister Kenta failed to mention. Never in a million years would I have bet money that she would come on her own, even though my family knows Kenta is missing. Something is not right here," Natsuki said.

"Do you think that Kenta-kun's in trouble?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"I wouldn't put it past him, but whatever that trouble is, she brought it to him. She did something that made him leave. He might say he wanted to find out if Nao was the one, but she did something to him that pushed him to that point. And I think it was something big because he has to face my parents after this and none of us like facing them knowing that we actually did something wrong. He knows this is wrong, but it was still something enough for him to get the hell out away from her."

"Are you going to ask him about it?"

"Hell, yeah! That loony bastard isn't going to run to me and then not tell me the whole story of why he got the hell out of there. We have to watch her too. Something is wrong when she's traveling on her own, especially to come get him. She just isn't that type of person," Natsuki stated.

Shizuru nodded, even though she really wanted to sigh. Any other time, she might have been up for this, but not right now. Royal intrigue was the last thing they needed right now.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki gets the whole story from Kenta.


	7. Hidenseek

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

7: Hide-n-seek

Shizuru and Natsuki found that they could not sit still or wait around for Kenta to contact them to find out what was going on. Natsuki was not happy to see Sakura at Garderobe and she needed to know what it was that was going on between the spoiled princess and Kenta now. They got in touch with Nao and told her to meet them at a restaurant in the city. They knew it was a bit risky to go into the city with Sakura out there, but Natsuki would feel better talking about family business off of school grounds. Besides, she did not want to chance someone at the school finding out about whatever problem Kenta was going through.

"Has Nao seen you recently, love?" Shizuru asked curiously as the couple readied to leave for the city.

"No. I've been busy and she's been avoiding me since we had that incident back when I first started my meds," Natsuki answered.

"Poor Nao. You probably took years off of her life. Where did you get that hunting knife from anyway?" Shizuru inquired.

Back when Natsuki first started taking her medications as they tried to get pregnant, Nao had had a run in with the principal. Not knowing that Natsuki was suffering from the worst mood swings imaginable, she treated Natsuki like she always did, but Natsuki did not react as she normally would. First, she pulled a knife on Nao in a fit of rage, threatening to carve her up. Barely a second later, she started apologizing for her actions. Then, she was trying to hug Nao and make sure she did not hurt the redhead. It all happened in less than thirty seconds and Nao did not even want to figure out what the hell was going on with the Second Column. The confused redhead had run for her life as soon as she could.

"Believe it or not, Koji collects them. I was sending it to him as a gift and she just happened to run into me before I could get to the post office to get a box and send it on its way," Natsuki explained.

"I suppose we might have to say something to her if she notices," Shizuru said, glancing down at her spouse's belly.

"No, no, no, we can't say anything to her or she'll be the first to know," the principal objected. "I don't want Nao to be the first to know."

A tawny eyebrow arched. "Natsuki does realize that Miss Maria is the first to know?" she pointed out.

"I know, I know, but I don't count her because she needed to know or she was going to have me committed. This is about us telling people together and we have to tell our families before anybody else."

Shizuru nodded in agreement, happy to hear that. With that, the conversation was dropped and they were off. They arrived at the restaurant first, but Nao and Kenta were right behind them. They were all seated together. Shizuru pulled out Natsuki's seat for her and the principal quickly pulled herself up to the table to hide her stomach from view.

"So, pup, you treating?" Nao inquired with a grin.

"Uh…check your ring finger. If you're not wearing my wedding band, I don't think I'm paying for you," Natsuki replied with her own smile.

"Cheapskate," the redhead huffed, turning her nose up as if she was offended by the headmistress' presence.

"So, Nat-kun, what's up? What did you need this emergency get-together for?" Kenta asked curiously. "You missed me?" He flashed her a teasing grin.

"Please, as much as you call me, I don't have time to miss you. No, something very interesting happened today," Natsuki said.

Kenta leaned back in his chair while reaching for the menu. "Yeah, what?"

"Sakura came to see me," the ebony-haired woman stated and that got her brother's complete attention. Suddenly, he had perfect posture and his eyes were larger than any plates around them. Everyone thought that was an interesting reaction; it seemed a little over the top for a simple fact that he should have seen coming.

"She came to see you?" he inquired, voice trembling a little.

"Yes, she came to see me and she came alone. Our parents weren't with her. Guards weren't with her. No swarm of ladies-in-waiting or anything. Just her. Now, that's a little out of the norm for any of the harpies-in-law. What happened between you and her?" Natsuki demanded to know, her voice calm and collected, but very firm. She spoke with him like she spoke with world leaders whose attitudes she did not like.

Kenta gulped, not sure where his baby sister got that tone of voice from. "I got sick of her…" he started and then trailed off, as if that should be enough.

"What did she do to make you get sick of her? You've been taking her bullshit for seven years and you've known Nao for a year. Why suddenly do you need to leave Sakura and be with Nao?"

Kenta put his head down and gripped his knees with tight fists. Nao put her hand on his forearm, which helped calm him down immediately. Grey eyes looked up and met emerald ones.

"Sakura's lost it, Nat-kun. She's out of her mind. She started talking about wouldn't it be great if I was actually Dad's heir and how nice it would be if she and I ruled Saxas. At first, I thought she was just wishing out loud. You know how they are. They always want more. It's never enough for them to be almost at the top. But, her wish started getting more elaborate as she kept talking. It was like she couldn't help herself and she just kept going, adding details to it and everything. It started to sound more like a plot to me and it wasn't just about the Saxas throne anymore. It was about going to war with her brother afterwards to take what she considers to be her birthright since she's older than he is," Kenta explained, sounding haunted as he remembered her words.

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "If she wanted it to be her birthright, she should've been born a male. She knows her country's customs."

Kenta nodded, but he still looked quite spooked as he continued. "Yeah, but she was starting to freak me out. I mean, like I said, it was like she couldn't help herself. I knew it was weird first of all that she was telling me about it and I know I was just getting the tip of the iceberg since she plans to use me. I think she really wanted to do it and she wanted to do it soon. Her letter writing was getting more frequent than it had been in years. I saw a few of them and they were in codes. Well, they were either codes or she likes writing nonsense about the heavens and stars. She was building allies and she is building an army. Sakura wants to be the Queen of something and I don't want any part of that. The throne is Shuichi-onii-sama's and I'm not trying to go over him and three other brothers to take it."

"I know," Natsuki said.

"If she wants your throne so badly and she has an army, why does she need you?" Nao asked curiously. The way she spoke about it and did not seem shocked led Natsuki and Shizuru to believe that Nao knew more than they did about Kenta's arrival.

"Saxas would recognize me long before they recognize her. I'm a Kruger and I'm male. Blood and gender mean a lot in our little part of the world. With me on the throne, she wouldn't have to worry about nobles challenging her for it. She thinks I would be her little puppet like I have been the past seven years. Well, to hell with that!" Kenta declared in a strong voice on his own, slamming his fist down against his thigh.

"Ara, ara, this is some mess," Shizuru noted, shaking her head a little. "So, is she looking for you because you know the whole plot?"

"I don't know the whole plot. I only know pieces of it. If anything, she is looking for me because she needs to make sure I keep my mouth shut and she needs me if she wants Saxas," Kenta replied.

"Why not just tell your parents?" Nao inquired with a confused expression on her face.

The Kruger siblings snorted and rolled their eyes at the same time. "Like they'd believe this!" they both stated. Nao was a little disturbed by their actions, especially since it was clearly unplanned.

"You mean to say that your parents would believe Sakura over Kenta-kun?" Shizuru asked. That did not sound right to her. While the Kruger parents were overbearing, they seemed to put a lot of stock and love into their children. Unfortunately, they did not seem to know when to let go.

"Not so much that they wouldn't believe me, but it would be a huge mess. They'd question me until I told them everything I know and then they'd want to question her and they'd have to handle it differently because she's the princess of one of our allies and then she would know that they're onto her and she'd take the whole operation underground and by the time everything was over, I would end up looking like a liar," Kenta explained.

"We have to tell Koji and Hiroshi," Natsuki realized.

"What? Why?" Kenta said.

"They'll find all of the proof we need before we go to Dad with this. You know how much they love this stuff. Besides, intelligence is their specialty. We'll have them hunt down her whole plot and then when they give the word, we tell Mom and Dad. Not to mention Sakura's brother. That poor kid wouldn't know what hit him if Saxas attacked that little island," Natsuki informed them.

"Wow, I didn't even think of that," Kenta admitted.

"Welcome to my world, flyboy. I strategize," Natsuki boasted.

"It's just about the only thing the dog is good at," Nao teased, smirking at the principal.

"Oh, trust me," Shizuru chimed in with a long purr. "She's good at many other things," she commented. Her tone alone got hot blushes out of the Kruger siblings.

Nao rolled her eyes and gagged. "Some things you need to keep to yourself, Shizuru."

Natsuki shook off the blush and cleared her throat to cover it up. "We have to do something about Sakura. I'll try to see what I can get out of her when I meet with her," she said, to get the meeting back on track.

"You've got a meeting with her?" Kenta asked in disbelief.

"Yes, a meeting was set up before I knew she was trying to turn you into a despot," the youngest Kruger remarked.

"More like she's trying to be the despot. I'm supposed to just sit there and look pretty," Kenta quipped.

"Natsuki, are you sure you're up to getting involved in this?" Shizuru asked, taking her beloved's hand.

Emerald eyes turned to Shizuru. "I won't do more than question her and try to stall her here while Koji and Hiroshi get the hard work done. Kenta, you make sure you stay out of sight. If we keep her in the city, we can keep an eye on her and keep her distracted, so she doesn't find out that she's being investigated."

"I can keep out of sight, no problem. Nao's been showing me places that Sakura would never think to look for me," Kenta assured her.

"Oh, so you haven't been to the motorcycle track yet?" Natsuki asked.

"They have that?" The blond was ready to jump up, but Nao's hand on his thigh kept him in his seat. "Damn it, I would've loved that, but that's the first place she'll look for me."

"It'll be fine, as long as she doesn't find you. She might not have anybody now, but once she finds you, who knows who she might call to drag you back," Natsuki warned her brother.

"It's all right. I'll stick close to him," Nao vowed, smiling to make it seem like it was no big deal. "Keep him out of trouble."

"All right, so, we have to get in touch with Koji and Hiroshi and we should be fine. They'll get to the bottom of this. We'll find out what she's up to, how far along she is with this plan, and then we'll know just where to get her," Natsuki said.

They all agreed and then had a pretty normal dinner. Shizuru and Natsuki found out how Nao and Kenta were spending their time and enjoying each other's company. Underneath all of the pleasantries, Shizuru was concerned for her spouse. She was not sure if Natsuki should be getting involved in anything beyond her normal duties as headmistress. But, she realized that this had to with Natsuki's duties as princess of Saxas and sister to Kenta. Of course, that did not help set her at ease.

On the way home, walking hand-in-hand, Shizuru did have to ask about it. "Natsuki, are you sure you should be doing this?"

Giving her lover a sidelong glance, Natsuki smiled a bit. "I can handle a little questioning and stalling, babe. It's the least I can do. It's nothing dangerous. My brothers have all the fun stuff to do."

"Okay, but if it is all right with Natsuki, I would like to be present when she speaks with Sakura."

"Of course, baby. That's no trouble at all. I'm sure you'll feel a lot better when you see you're worrying about nothing."

Shizuru smiled. She was sure it was nothing, but she wanted to make sure. The baby could not handle the strain if it did end up being a bother or somehow stressful, so if Sakura became a handful, she could easily escort the whiny princess out of the office and off of school grounds.

The first meeting with Sakura went as expected. She came into the office with all the force of a monsoon, demanding to know where Kenta was. Natsuki was not obviously interested in giving up that information. Shizuru came in under the pretext of delivering tea to the principal. Sakura openly sneered at Shizuru when she parked her butt on her usual spot on the edge of the desk and started sipping her tea too.

"Do you mind? We're trying to have a private conversation here," Sakura huffed, glaring at the Graceful Amethyst.

"I do mind. This is usually the time I have tea with my beloved. If anything, you're intruding," Shizuru commented before taking a small sip of her beverage.

"Natsuki," Sakura growled.

The principal shrugged helplessly. "You of all people should know that Krugers are controlled by their wives. I can't stop her from doing anything."

"Fine. I will come see you another time then when you're ready to be serious about helping me. For all you know, your brother could be dead in the streets and you do not seem to care!" Sakura snorted, curling her lip as if disgusted with the emerald-eyed Otome.

"Kenta can take care of himself. He doesn't need you to hold his hand and he doesn't need you to push your dreams onto him," Natsuki replied calmly. Her face betrayed nothing going on inside of her, but she watched as Sakura bristled for less than a second.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, thinking that was an odd phrase for Natsuki to use. She stood and then suddenly Natsuki followed suit.

"I would prefer to walk you out myself," the headmistress decided.

Shizuru arched an eyebrow to that, but eye contact with Natsuki let her know that it was part of some plan. Unfortunately, Natsuki had not shared that part of the plan with her. Shizuru tagged along as they started toward the front gate of the school. They took a very roundabout way to the front gate without a word being said between them. As they went by, students waved and greeted the Headmistress and the Deputy Headmistress. Shizuru understood that this was a message to Sakura for her to see and know that she was in Natsuki's element now.

The zigzag path to the exit was to confuse Sakura, just in case. Natsuki was the cautious type, so she did not want Sakura to figure out the fast way to anywhere on campus. She also knew that Sakura was not as observant about directions and locations as she was with people; it just was not a skill focused on in royal courts.

"I will see you again, Natsuki," Sakura declared, saying the name with a sneer and without any respect.

"Please, do come again. I should like to speak with you when you're ready to act maturely," Natsuki remarked.

Sakura glared at the principal before storming out of the gate and off of school grounds. Natsuki rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Shizuru. The brunette breathed a sigh of relief and took her wife's hand in hers.

"What do you make of this, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked.

"She's not an idiot. She's here to find Kenta and keep his mouth shut and getting him back home as soon as she can. I just need to distract her and off-balance as best I can," Natsuki replied.

"I don't want Natsuki getting into trouble."

"I know, babe. I'm not going to do anything crazy. I won't even press her about her plot to take over the government. I'll just try to keep her busy from finding Kenta."

Shizuru did not argue that one. It seemed safe enough. Still, she showed up whenever Sakura wanted to meet with Natsuki. The meetings did not last long because Sakura was not willing to talk much in front of Shizuru and she also did not seem interested in answering any questions that Natsuki had. Each day Sakura left more and more frustrated.

"Shizuru, babe," Natsuki said after Sakura fled the campus for the fourth time since arriving about a week ago.

"Yes?" the Third Column inquired as they started the walk back.

"I think for the next meeting, it should just be me and Sakura," Natsuki proposed.

"Natsuki, sweetheart…"

"I know you're going to worry, but we're not getting anywhere with this. I know I said I just wanted to stall her, but I can't even keep her here for ten minutes on bullshit because she acts like her words are too important for your ears. Let's just try it a couple of times and see what happens. Okay?"

"Natsuki…" Shizuru trailed off, not wanting to agree or disagree just yet.

"Baby, it's only questions and believe me, she's not going to try to attack me. She doesn't have that in her and even if she did, she knows I would kick her ass. So, you really don't need to worry about it."

Shizuru sighed. "I'm overreacting, aren't I?" she inquired with some shame in her voice.

"No, I know you're worried about me and about our treasure. I'm flattered by it, really. I just don't want you to stress yourself out over something that's not too serious. I can handle Sakura. I don't want you to worry about it."

Shizuru nodded. "I'll think about it."

For Natsuki, that was enough. With as protective as Shizuru was lately, she felt fortunate for a wishy-washy "I'll think about it." She figured that she would just work with that and try to make it work in her favor.

* * *

Sakura was certain that Natsuki was hiding Kenta somewhere on those school grounds. She had not found him anywhere in the city, even though from what she gathered, there had been sightings of him. Apparently, he was wandering around the city with some redheaded woman. There was talk that the redhead was an Otome; maybe even a powerful one. Sakura was not interested in any of that. All she wanted to do was find her husband and get him back home before he did anything drastic.

She needed to get into that school and look around to locate her husband. She needed someone to help with that. She decided to get in contact with some of her people and explain her requirements. Someone would be able to point her in the right direction or even get her what she needed, she was sure of that. Until then, she would continue to meet with Natsuki and try to find her idiot spouse before he did anything that could cost her dearly.

The next time Sakura went up to Garderobe, she tried her best to spot Kenta before being taken to Natsuki's office. Nowhere was there a spiky blond head to be found and Sakura growled as she walked the usual routine to the office. When she entered the office, she took the seat in front of Natsuki's desk. Natsuki was finishing up with a phone call and turned her attention to the visitor right after.

"So, Sakura, nice to see you again. Have you been enjoying your stay in Windbloom? The capital is a very beautiful city," Natsuki pointed out.

Sakura frowned. "There are too many people, it's too loud, too hot, and not green enough. This city is awful, but I suppose someone who's practically a foreigner to her own country would think it's beautiful," she snapped.

"I disagree. I think a close-minded, ignorant sociopath would only consider things from her homeland to be beautiful. If you can't see beauty in other places, you're only going to make yourself miserable."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Let's be serious, Natsuki. We both know you don't have enough brains to fill a thimble, so you couldn't possibly appreciate beauty. Not to mention, you're practically a man and they definitely don't have an eye for beauty. Why don't you cut off your breasts and call it a day?"

"I dunno, Shizuru's pretty fond of my breasts," Natsuki remarked with a smart-ass smirk. She could not believe that she actually said that, but she enjoyed upsetting the harpy.

"You are quite the disgusting thing. Is this why you're hiding Kenta? You want to turn him into a bigger disgrace than you are to make yourself look better by comparison?" the accusation was made so smoothly that it was like Sakura believed it.

"Since I don't see myself as a disgrace, I wouldn't have to do that. I'm not hiding Kenta," Natsuki stated. _Nao's the one hiding him. And she's doing a damn good job of it_.

The Fourth Column had taken it upon herself to hide Kenta without forcing him underground. She was just showing him the "unseen" parts of the city. They mostly hung out at night now. Natsuki was impressed by Nao's actions, not that she said as much. In fact, all she said to Nao was "don't rape my brother" and sent them on their way. Of course, Nao sneered and snapped back that she would do whatever she damn well pleased. Shizuru had witnessed the whole exchange and seemed to be holding back laughter as it went on.

"I'm sure he's cowering somewhere around here," Sakura spat, eyes scanning the office and looking repulsed with everything.

"I try not to keep men on the campus too long. They distract the girls," Natsuki stated. Teenage girls, no matter how intelligent and driven, could be distracted by some of the smallest things, like just seeing a man on campus, even if they knew who he was. It was just something out of the norm, so it was enticing.

Sakura's eyes rolled again. "Ah, yes, your little depraved homosexual farm. Do all the girls here service you or is it just your so-called wife?"

"No, just her so-called wife," Shizuru remarked as she entered the office with her cart, complete with tea and cakes. Natsuki smiled while Sakura scowled. The Third Column chuckled. "If any of the other girls even thought to service my dearest, well, it would be a very bad thing…"

"Very bad," the headmistress repeated with an elaborate shudder.

Shizuru then went through the motions of preparing Natsuki's tea and leaving her pregnant spouse a snack. She then surprised Sakura by leaving. Sakura watched the door, waiting for the ruby-eyed female to come back, but that never happened.

"So, Sakura, what do you think made Kenta leave anyway?" the principal inquired curiously before sipping her tea.

"I suspect he has flights of fancy about being with some other woman," Sakura replied, tilting her head slightly, almost as if being smug.

"Kenta doesn't typically meet women. And I have to say, we Krugers are usually pretty inept around them. So, what makes you think that?"

"We argued because I found letters."

Natsuki shrugged. "I write letters all the time. Some of them to women. Shizuru has yet to cut my head off for cheating."

"I wouldn't be surprised what sort of things you and yours accept. You should know it's improper for Kenta to privately communicate with any women. It's disgraceful."

"Trust me, he could do worse things than write letters. But, you want me to believe that Kenta had it out with you and then ran off to be with another woman? Where did he even have time to meet another woman? Weren't you two connected at the spine the moment he whimpered something that could be mistaken for 'I do'?" She sipped her tea, continuing to be as cool as ever.

"Natsuki, I do not have to sit here and take this interrogation. I know you know where Kenta is, so tell me where you're hiding him now," Sakura demanded, growling at the end of her sentence.

"I'm not hiding him and talking to me like that isn't going to get you anywhere. I want you to be serious with me, Sakura. Kenta was prepared to stick it out with you, no matter how horrible it was because he is honorable and he understands how it helps our homeland, so why did he suddenly leave you?" Natsuki inquired once again.

"He's allowing some foreign girl to poison his mind. If you don't tell me where he is, I'll just tell your parents that you're withholding the information, hiding him, and also trying to assist him in breaking his marriage vows to me for some foreign bitch with no breeding," Sakura hissed.

"You can tell them whatever you want. That doesn't make it true," Natsuki pointed out. Of course, that would not stop her parents from harassing her, but she supposed she would have to deal with it if it came to that.

"They'd think it was true," she stated, looking smug again. While she knew her in-laws did not care for her much, she knew that she could get them to believe her when it came to their children. After all, they knew how foolhardy their offspring could be.

The principal laughed. "They can think whatever they want. That doesn't make it true. Why didn't you say something to them in the first place?"

"I did not want to worry them over the matter. They are busy with other matters, after all."

Natsuki nodded, more to herself than anything else. She was a bit surprised that Sakura knew about Nao, but she was not surprised that her sister-in-law worked out a story to tell already. She was suspicious about why Sakura did not contact her parents yet because that would have been the move to get Kenta back quickly. That led her to believe that what Kenta was talking about was probably going to happen soon. Sakura was preparing to take what she wanted; it was not Sakura just thinking out loud and dreaming big as Kenta had assumed at first.

Sakura leveled a heated glare at the headmistress. "Natsuki, I am going to get my husband back. I promise you this. By any means necessary. So, why don't you save us the trouble and tell me where he is," she stated in a deadly calm voice.

The Otome was not moved by the tone. "I don't know where he is and even if I did, I don't think I would tell you at this point. I don't like your attitude."

"Then I guess there's nothing more to discuss," Sakura said, doing her best to remain composed.

"No, I guess not," the ebony-haired woman concurred.

Natsuki walked her sister-in-law to the gate as always. Sakura made another appointment before leaving, obviously still hell-bent on finding her insubordinate spouse. At this point, she was ready to beat Natsuki upside the head for hiding him, but she knew that would not do any good.

When Sakura got back to her hotel, she found that she had good news waiting. Someone that would be able to get her into Garderobe and help her poke around was waiting for her. All she had to do was meet the person at a café down the street. She smiled because something was finally going her way. Now, she would get Natsuki out of the way, find that idiot Kenta, and continue on with her life as a rising star…in her mind at least.

* * *

Next time: Sakura has a meeting that raises the stakes in this whole thing.


	8. Ante up

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

8: Ante up

The café was quite upscale and the atmosphere almost impressed Sakura as she entered. She explained to the host that she was there to meet someone and gave her name. The host nodded and pointed to a table over in the corner. Sakura looked in that direction to see a green-haired woman sitting down, almost hidden from everyone else. The woman looked familiar, but Sakura could not recall where she might have seen her before. She approached, keeping a smile in check as she thought about how she was going to put one over on everyone and show them just how superior she was. She would especially enjoy rubbing Natsuki's face in things considering the way Natsuki had treated her lately.

"Princess Sakura Kruger, I'm so happy that you could join me," the woman commented with a nearly wicked smirk.

"Tomoe Marguerite?" Sakura asked in a low tone, not wanting to draw any attention to them.

"One and the same," Tomoe answered, still smiling. The devilish glint in her eyes refused to leave, but Sakura did not think anything of it.

Sakura slid into the seat across from the green-haired woman. "I believe I have met your aunt. She frequents functions in Saxas."

"That she does. I was told you're looking for someone who knows the Garderobe layout," Tomoe said, making sure to keep her voice low, but she sounded casual too.

"I am. I think my husband is hiding somewhere on campus and I'm trying to get him to come back home with me. Unfortunately, his dyke sister is the principal there and isn't letting me find him," Sakura growled.

The conversation was paused as a waiter came over. He left menus with pair and quickly took their drink orders. They both watched as he walked away, wanting to make sure they were alone again. They then turned their attention back to each other.

"You mean Natsuki Kruger?" Tomoe asked curiously since Sakura mentioned the principal of Garderobe.

"That's the one. She's been stonewalling me ever since I got here. I just want my husband back, but she's just running me around in circles because she doesn't like me very much," the princess explained.

"She does have a habit of sticking her nose where it doesn't belong," Tomoe commented in a slightly harsh tone. A phantom pain shot through her neck, remembering how Natsuki had manhandled her the last time they had met. Natsuki had kept her from her beloved, but she would be able to get revenge for that and soon enough Shizuru-onee-sama would be hers. Once they were together, she would be able to get Shizuru-onee-sama to return her feelings full force. She was sure of it.

"Yes, she does."

"So, if you want me to help you with the layout of the school, you also need to have time to search the grounds. Does the principal give you time like that? Would she allow you to wander the school on your own?" Tomoe inquired. That did not sound like the cautious, smart-ass headmistress who tried to cover all bases and think of everything to her.

Sakura shook her head. "No, she has people escort me to her office, where we talk briefly, and then she escorts me back to the front gate."

Tomoe's forehead wrinkled a bit, taking the information in. "She escorts you alone?" Could she really be so lucky?

"Recently, yes. Before that her…" Sakura paused and growled, not wanting to refer to Shizuru as Natsuki's wife. Such a thing was disgraceful and disgusting, after all. "…her bitch would walk us."

Tomoe had to force herself not to react when she realized that "her bitch" was a reference to Shizuru. Suppressing her anger, she managed a tight smile at Sakura. She reminded herself that she needed the princess right now for her to get what she wanted. She was too fortunate for the moment to let her emotions ruin it. But, she made a mental note of the insult.

"But, she walks you alone now?" Tomoe inquired, trying to get a picture of what they were working with.

"Yes," Sakura answered.

"And are you alone with her often?"

"Now, yes. She saw me alone in her office. Before that, her bitch would sit with us the whole time. I couldn't have any sort of conversation with her with that bitch right there. Not that I would expect intelligent conversation out of Natsuki," Sakura remarked.

"So, before you can search the grounds, you would have to figure out a way to get away from Natsuki," Tomoe pointed out. _This is working out almost too perfectly_.

"I would also have to figure out how to get you inside the school. Natsuki will not let me in with a guest. I'm sure of that."

Tomoe did not bother to explain that there was no way that she would be allowed on school grounds. "I can draw you a map."

"No, no, that wouldn't work. I need intimate, firsthand knowledge. I know that Natsuki is hiding him and I need someone to guide me to all of the little nooks and spaces that might be a good hiding place for him. A map isn't going to cut it."

Tomoe nodded, as if she understood. "You know, there are other ways to find out instead of searching the grounds."

"Like?"

The conversation was paused again as the waiter returned with their drinks. They quickly ordered lunch also to get the irksome young man away from them. As soon as he was gone, they turned their attention back to each other.

"You were saying," Sakura said, prompting Tomoe to explain herself.

"There are other ways to find out where your husband is instead of searching the grounds. You could get the principal to tell you where he is," the green-haired woman proposed with a smirk. _That would be too perfect_.

"And how could I do that?" After all, she had tried several times already and her sister-in-law was not saying anything. She was not about to admit those defeats, though.

"Science is a wonderful thing. There are ways to get her to talk. We would just need to get her to take a truth serum. It'll relax her as well as make her tell us the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Tomoe explained, still smirking and looking almost giddy. The twinkle in her eye now bordered on delightfully insane.

Sakura nodded. "Not a bad idea. If it comes in a liquid, I might be able to slip into her tea. She always has tea when I come in and sometimes her bitch leaves the cart close to my chair."

"I can get the truth serum in liquid form for you. Now, it will make her very relaxed, so you have to get to walk you to the gate where I can meet you and we can take her to secure location. This way, you won't have to worry about someone walking in on you while you're questioning her and figuring out what's going on," Tomoe pointed out. This was working out very well for her and soon she would be rid of the one thing keeping her from Shizuru-onee-sama.

"Hmm…are you sure this will work?" Sakura inquired suspiciously. It all seemed much too easy.

"I don't see why it wouldn't. After we get the information from her, I would be able to give her some pills that would make her forget this all happened. As I said, science is a wonderful thing. You would be able to pour a small vial into her tea, right?"

"I should be able to, provided her whore puts the cart close enough."

Tomoe had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from saying anything. She knew that she needed to keep control over herself in order to get her plan off of the ground, but it was getting to be too much. She was not going to forget the disrespect this woman showed her beloved, though.

"Then we should give this a shot. Once we have Natsuki in a secure location, we can find where your husband is," the green-haired woman reasoned.

Sakura nodded. "All right," she agreed soundly. She did not even bother to ask what was in it for Tomoe, figuring that the green-haired woman probably just wanted the money that Sakura offered to whoever was willing to help her.

Money was the last thing on Tomoe's mind. All she was thinking about was soon she would have her revenge against Natsuki and then she would be able to work on making Shizuru hers. They both savored lunch, finding it tasted wonderful and thinking that soon everything would be just as they wanted it.

* * *

Sakura almost could not contain her joy as she waited for her escort at the gates of Garderobe. Tomoe had gotten the truth serum and Sakura was now sure that the plan would work. She had a couple of meetings with Natsuki in between meeting with Tomoe and now, so she knew that Shizuru would not interfere with the discussions as she used to and the cart was always left near her whenever Shizuru came in. She also knew the perfect distraction after watching the pair for so long.

The walk to the headmistress' office took forever and a day as far as the excited Sakura was concerned. First, she would show Natsuki that she was a dumb as all of the other Krugers, then she would find her husband and make sure he did not say anything, and then she would go back home and put her plans into motion before something else went wrong. After that, she would have it all. It was the perfect plan; she was sure of that.

Sakura had to concern herself with keeping her usual demeanor, not wanting to rouse Natsuki's suspicions. So, after sitting down, she made her usual demands and Natsuki gave her the run-around as expected. Shizuru came in at the same time that she always did, pushing her tea cart and smiling at her spouse. As she poured the tea, Sakura decided it was time to put her plan in motion.

"Oh, you don't have those little strawberry filled cookies again?" Sakura inquired, sounding very disappointed.

Natsuki whimpered and turned huge puppy eyes to Shizuru. "No cookies?" she asked.

"No, Natsuki, no cookies today. Youko-sensei said you had too many sweets lately," Shizuru scolded her spouse, but patted her on the head with the hope of easing her pain.

"But, I didn't. Youko-sensei is just saying that to be mean!" Natsuki then dropped down onto her desk. "You're both being mean!"

Shizuru smiled graciously down at her poor wife and rubbed the top of soft, obsidian hair. "Poor baby, so desperate for sweets that she steals my words from me. We need to cut down your sweets. She thinks it might be aggravating the nanomachines, which we know is very dangerous," she explained in a gentle tone, petting her spouse more. She figured if the principal knew why she could not have sweets anymore for the moment, she might stop pouting.

"What do we have then?" Natsuki asked in a muffled tone, not bothering to lift her head.

"Wheat toast."

Natsuki groaned loudly, sounding like a spoiled brat. Sakura could not believe the behavior of the princess, of the principal. She could not believe that Natsuki was in charge of anything. But, she was glad for it because she was easily able to pour the drug into Natsuki's tea while the Second Column threw her tantrum and her wife tried to console her.

Shizuru served Natsuki the tea and small slices of wheat toast. The principal did not look very pleased with the snack, but she did not say anything about it. She ate everything since she was perpetually hungry. Of course, she pouted to show that she was not pleased, but Shizuru ignored the childish moping. Shizuru exited after Sakura declined on having any tea or toast. As soon as Shizuru was gone, Sakura turned eager eyes to the ebony-haired Otome. Natsuki sipped her tea for turning her attention back to her sister-in-law.

"So, Sakura, you still haven't explained to me why you believe Kenta would suddenly leave you for another woman, especially one that he knows he can't have for several reasons," Natsuki said calmly, picking up where they left off. No one would believe that a minute ago she had been acting like a flighty three-year-old.

Sakura scoffed and leaned back in her chair. "Your brother obviously isn't a very intelligent cad."

"I suppose you would think that. You do think we're all idiots, don't you?" the Second Column pointed out.

"Aren't you? You're royals, yet you behave like savages. None of you have the drive or even ambition to rule your country. Half of you would rather be with foreigners than your own kind."

Natsuki arched an eyebrow. "Our own kind? Yeah, we do tend to like humans beings, just like the rest of us."

"Don't try to make it seem like you're so noble. Royalty is wasted on all of you fools. You don't know how to lead, even though it's your God-given right. All of you would send Saxas into ruin if you had your run of things."

"But, not you, right? You would know exactly how to run it?" Natsuki inquired. Personally, she thought that she would do at least a decent job of running her country if necessary and she thought the same of her brothers. But, she would only do that if necessary, just like her brothers.

Sakura realized that she had said too much. She bristled and then glowered at Natsuki as if it was somehow her fault. The principal looked smug for a brief moment before her eyelids began to sag. The drug was starting to take effect and Sakura smiled internally. _I win, Natsuki!_

"I don't have to take this!" Sakura declared, knowing that she had to get out of there now.

"No, I suppose you don't," Natsuki drawled.

"I'm leaving now!"

Natsuki motioned to the door and Sakura shot to her feet. She stormed out as she typically did with the pale princess right behind her. Sakura had to fight down a snicker as she marched to the gate. Natsuki's footsteps slowed with each step that she took and Sakura almost left her behind. When she noticed that she was not being followed anymore, Sakura turned to see Natsuki slouching and dragging her feet.

"You look like the ape you act like," Sakura remarked as she moved to go get the headmistress. She propped Natsuki up on her, groaning as she did so at the unexpected weight against her. "God, you're like a cow. It's from all of those sweets you like to eat," she commented.

"Sweets are so good," Natsuki cooed.

Sakura rolled her eyes and did not respond, just dragging Natsuki along with her as quickly as she could. She did not expect the drugs to take action so quickly. While moving as fast as possible tugging a mammoth like Natsuki, Sakura wondered if something was wrong or if the drug was supposed to take effect that easily. She was tempted to ask Natsuki everything right then and there, but did not want to risk someone seeing her.

She was certain that it was only second, but it felt like years for them to get to the school entrance. Once they got to the gate, Natsuki had to punch in a code for it to open. For a moment, Sakura feared that the drug would make Natsuki forget the code or forget the routine, but she went through it like clockwork. After typing in the code, though, Natsuki's body dipped as if she was about to fall over. Sakura managed to keep her on her feet.

"I would let you drop and crack your skull open if I didn't think it would draw too much attention," Sakura huffed. _Blasted Krugers, always trouble!_

"Can't do that. My goddess wouldn't like it," Natsuki commented, giggling just a little.

Sakura growled, wanting to just toss the princess down on the ground now that she was reminded how disgusting Natsuki was. There was not enough time for that, though. Tomoe pulled up in a car and Sakura eased Natsuki into the backseat. Tomoe smiled and drove off once her passengers were secure.

"So, where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"I know a place that's comfortable enough for us and no one else will be there," Tomoe answered.

"Good," Sakura said with a pleased nod. She glanced back at Natsuki, who was falling over and drooling. "Should she be so dazed?"

Tomoe glanced back at the principal through the mirror. "She's fine. Don't worry about her."

Sakura nodded again, even though she was a little worried. She did not want to cause herself too much trouble by poisoning the princess. The Saxas royal family would have her head if something happened to Natsuki. After all, she was the precious baby girl; the whole family doted on her in their own ways because of that.

"Are you sure she won't be able to remember this?" Sakura asked to be sure. Just to be safe, she started thinking of a plausible explanation on how to get out of this. She supposed it worked out best that the King and Queen would greet any story from Natsuki with skepticism.

"Positive. You'll be fine," Tomoe assured her partner-in-crime.

The royal wife nodded, hoping that was the case. There was too much at stake for this to fail. As the ride continued, she glanced back at Natsuki to check on her. The pale woman appeared tired and confused from the way that she was rocking in her seat. Sakura did not mention it to Tomoe, who continued driving and put it off as nothing.

The ride was not very long, but it did end in the desert. Tomoe and Sakura both had to pick Natsuki up. She was too bewildered to stand on her own. They marched into a small, furnished bungalow and dropped Natsuki onto a comfortable sofa. She bounced and giggled a bit, causing both kidnappers to stare at her. They did not even bother binding the principal because she could not even stand up on her own.

"She's much heavier than she looks," Tomoe commented and then she noticed just how big the Second Column looked. "Okay, I suppose it's more she's heavier than I thought. She looks like she ate a house."

"She is huge," Sakura noted. "Let's test out the truth serum." She turned her attention to the goofy principal. "Natsuki-chan, are you fat?" she inquired.

Natsuki giggled. "Natsuki is fat," she concurred with a silly nod.

"Seems like it does work," Sakura said. "There is just no way someone like her would ever admit to being fat."

"All right, so you should ask her what you want to know and then go find your husband. I'll watch her until you can verify her information," Tomoe suggested.

Sakura nodded and Tomoe left the room, trying her best not to smile. Sakura did not even bother hiding her own smirk. The royal wife went and sat across from Natsuki on a love seat. She reclined, crossing her legs at the ankles and folding her hands in her lap. She appeared quite smug while Natsuki groaned and listed forward as if she was going to vomit. Thankfully, she was not sick.

"How do you feel, Natsuki?" Sakura inquired, sounding much more mocking than concerned about the drugged princess.

"Pissed!" Natsuki hummed, sounding like she was singing.

"Pissed? Why pissed?" she asked, thinking maybe they should tie the pale Otome up…just in case.

"Because you think I'm not aware of what you're doing," Natsuki drawled, trying to wave her hand with each word that she said. Her index finger was the most that she could move.

Sakura arched an eyebrow to that. "Oh, so you know you're at my mercy?" It did not occur to her that her sister-in-law would be aware as to what was going on.

"I know I'm gonna fuck you up as soooooon as I can stand up!" the principal giggled again. She tried to stand, but her legs were not complying. Watching her try and fail brought a smile to Sakura's face for a moment.

"Well, I've been assured that you won't be able to stand or move very well for a couple of hours. I've also been assured that you can only tell me the truth, so why don't you tell me where my husband is," Sakura demanded with a growl.

"Your husband?" Natsuki echoed and then she burst out laughing. "You have a husband only in name."

"I don't care about what you think of my marriage, Natsuki. I just want to know where my husband is. You will tell me now."

"I don't know where he is now. I don't keep up with that," Natsuki replied, waving it off. Again, she could only move a finger and not her whole hand like she wanted to.

"You know where your brother is. I know you all keep up with each other. If you don't know where he is now, then you know where he will be eventually. Is he staying on your school campus?"

"NOOOO!" Natsuki howled.

"Is he staying at a hotel?"

"YUP!"

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere. Now, where is he staying? What hotel?"

Natsuki tried to keep the information in, but her mouth moved without her say so. She gave her brother up with a laugh, telling Sakura just where he was staying. She also informed Sakura what time Kenta usually came in. She explained where he probably was and worst of all—to Natsuki—she told who Kenta was out with.

"He really likes Nao," Natsuki added in with no prompting.

"Does he? Is he sleeping with Nao?" Sakura demanded, frowning as she spoke. Kenta had refused to sleep with her, not wanting to chance having a child with her. The only time they had ever been together was when they were first married and courtesans had crowded around their bed to make sure they consummated the marriage. Even then, he had been a sneak and made sure to spill his seed on their bed instead of inside of her each time. He always said that he would never trap a child in their mess of a marriage. Of course, that enraged her since she was sure that a child would give her higher status in the Kruger family and she would have someone in line for the throne to mold in her own image.

"No! He can't sleep with Nao! We need her!"

"You need her? Do you like Nao?"

Natsuki stared at Sakura with glazed over eyes. "More than you, yeah. I'd take her over you any day. Be my little sister," she chuckled and smiled.

Sakura snarled. "Well, that won't happen. I'm getting Kenta back and taking him home!"

"He won't go, Sa-ku-ra. He doesn't like yooooouuuuuuuuuu!"

"We'll see about that. I'm going to get him now and I promise you he's coming back and you're going to forget all about this. Everything will go back to normal…for a while anyway," Sakura boasted.

Natsuki shook her head. "No, no, no."

"Yes, yes, yes." Sakura turned her attention to the next room where Tomoe had disappeared. "Tomoe, I'm going out to retrieve my husband," she called.

"I'll watch the principal," Tomoe replied.

Sakura smirked arrogantly at Natsuki before taking her leave, certain that she won this round and she would soon win everything. Tomoe came back into the living room when she was sure that Sakura was gone. She chuckled a bit as she watched Natsuki trying to get up off of the couch.

"My, my, principal, you are taking to these drugs in an odd, but pleasant way. I did think I was going to get a chance to inject you with this, though," Tomoe smiled devilishly as she held up a large, ancient-looking syringe.

"Tomoe…" Natsuki groaned, trying to frown, but she was unable to. Her body was not obeying any commands from her brain at the moment.

"Hello, principal. It's nice to see you again. You have gained so much weight. I can't believe that Shizuru-onee-sama would stay with such a heifer," Tomoe commented, still smiling.

"Loves me. My goddess loves me," Natsuki insisted, sounding dizzy now.

"She loves me, principal. She just hasn't realized how much she loves me yet. Once you're out of the way, I will get her notice, though. She will figure out how much she loves me once you're no longer blinding her with your brutish ways," Tomoe declared proudly.

Natsuki scoffed and threw her head back. The motion proved to be too much for her and she crashed into the back of the couch. Tomoe shook her head as if reprimanding a small child.

"Shi-shi loves me," Natsuki blurted out and started laughing.

Tomoe growled and a wild glint appeared in her eyes. "You only think she's in love with you and that's why you can say these things while under truth serum! You can't prove it!"

Natsuki shook her head. "I can," she whispered.

"No, you can't. If you can prove it, do it right now," Tomoe ordered.

The Second Column nodded. "I got her baby…" she stated, clearly bragging even in her drug-induced state.

"You have her baby?" Tomoe echoed, face scrunched up in bewilderment for a moment. When realization dawned on her, she snarled like a wild beast. "You bitch! You can't have Shizuru-onee-sama's baby! You can't! I'm going to be her wife and have her children! Not you!" she roared, storming over to Natsuki and pulling her by the hair.

Natsuki winced and tried fighting back, but found herself unable to do so. She could not even move her arms to do anything. Tomoe yanked her up by her hair and dragged her to the back of the house, going out of the backdoor. She forced Natsuki into the vehicle while continuing to tear at Natsuki's scalp and battering the weak Otome. Tomoe pulled out handcuffs from her back pocket and cuffed Natsuki to the door before slamming it shut.

"I'll teach you to steal everything from me! By the end of this, you'll be begging me to end you and then I'll have Shizuru-onee-sama!" Tomoe hollered as she got into the driver's side of the car.

Natsuki laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'll kick your ass later," she promised and was serious, even though she sounded very out of it.

"Oh, no, Natsuki-chan. There will be none of that. You hurt me enough at your palace and when you took my love from me. She's mine and you'll agree with me before I end you," Tomoe stated.

"…What about Sakura…?" Natsuki managed to ask. She wondered how her sister-in-law and the lunatic next to her got in cahoots with each other.

"I only needed her to get to you. She's on her own now."

Natsuki was not surprised by the double-cross, but could not fix her mouth to say anything about it. Tomoe was not paying her any mind anyway. The green-haired woman started the car, but then suddenly turned it off.

"I almost forgot," Tomoe said, reaching over and yanking Natsuki barrette out of her head, taking several strands of hair with it. "I wish you wore yours in your ear like everyone else. I had plans to clip off your ear with it."

"Gonna kill you…" Natsuki vowed in a weak voice.

"I doubt it. I've got more than enough drugs and equipment to keep you tame until I decide what punishment best suits filth like you. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time and I will not be denied," Tomoe snarled. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a strange metallic rod with a tiny black ball at the end. "See this, principal? I stole this from some people trying to develop anti-Otome technology. This shorts out your precious GEM," she explained before using it to zap the Gem. She then threw Natsuki's GEM out of the car before starting the car, backing over the GEM, and shattering it before peeling off. "No one will ever find you now," the younger woman vowed.

All Natsuki could do was watch as they rode off into the dessert. She managed to put a hand to her stomach. She made a silent vow to the baby that everything was going to be all right. Everything was going to be all right.

* * *

Shizuru smiled to herself as she entered Natsuki's office, pushing their lunch cart. "Natsuki," she called to her spouse and then looked at the empty desk. An eyebrow went up from this strange development. "Natsuki?"

The brunette abandoned the cart and went to inspect the desk. She did not see any notes, explaining that Natsuki would be out. She considered that Natsuki might have gone home for a sleep in their bed rather than a nap on the couch. She called the apartment, but the phone went unanswered. Curious as to where her pregnant spouse was, Shizuru went out to find if anyone knew where Natsuki went. No one had a clue where the principal might have gone. Shizuru went to the one person that always seemed to know where Natsuki was…aside from herself anyway.

"Miss Maria, have you seen my darling Natsuki?" Shizuru inquired curiously, poking her head in the older Otome's office.

"Hmm…no, I haven't. Is she not in her office?" Miss Maria countered.

"No, she wasn't there. I thought she might have gone home for a nap, but she didn't answer the phone."

"Perhaps you should go over there and check. I have gone into her office sometimes and found her nearly comatose with the phone ringing at top volume."

Shizuru nodded; it was quite true. In her deepest nap, Natsuki was pretty much dead to the world. She went to check the apartment, but their bedroom was empty. The sofa was unoccupied. Shizuru was not sure what to make of it.

"Natsuki…" the Third Column muttered, trying to quell the anxiety building in her system and the fear biting at her stomach. She had a horrible feeling about this.

* * *

Next time: Shizuru enlists the help of Nao and Kenta to find Natsuki.


	9. MIA

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

9: M.I.A

Sakura rushed off, hoping to catch her husband where Natsuki thought he would be. She figured that the sister knew the brother better than everyone else, so Natsuki should have been correct. Unfortunately for her, Natsuki seemed to be quite wrong. Kenta was not where Natsuki told her he would be. She wondered if Natsuki was just wrong or if that so-called truth serum just somehow did not work.

"Damn, hocus-pocus science," she grumbled, lip curling in anger. Indecision ate away at her.

She was not sure if she should go back to Natsuki or wait at Kenta's hotel, which she found out was the correct hotel. She was not surprised to find that he was staying at mid-level hotel; she was willing to bet that it did not even rate three stars. Since she had that small bit to go on, she decided to find out more about Kenta since he was her top priority.

She tried to find out information on Kenta, like when he usually came in or what room he was staying in, but the little clerk at the front desk refused her…even when she offered him money! Lots of money! She did not understand these foreigners, which made her desire nothing more than to grab Kenta and get back home as soon as possible. So, she waited and watched for Kenta. Little did she know, but the blond was far from where he was supposed to be.

* * *

Kenta was enjoying his time out with Nao, even though she had the awful habit of teasing him over every little thing. He did not know much about females, so he thought teasing might be normal. Nadia teased Shuichi and he noted that Shizuru kind of teased Natsuki, so teasing might be normal for women. And he decided to take it in stride; it was not like he had never been teased before.

They were hanging out in a dark section of the park, drinking and talking about whatever came to mind. It was relaxing to Nao, who did not make it a point to drink or talk. The talking was easy; something about Kenta helped. She thought it was because he seemed familiar—being so much like Natsuki—but he was also new, which was interesting for her. Drinking a bit loosened them both up, which made talking even easier.

"You know, when Natsuki and I were younger, we tried to run away from home," Kenta said, staring up at the clear sky. He was leaning his back against a tree. The memory came out of the blue and it randomly made its way out of his mouth.

"What did two spoiled, royal brats like you find so appalling that you needed to run away from home for?" Nao inquired, taunting smirk on her face.

"Shuichi-onii-sama had just left for school and we didn't like that, so we were going to go out and find him to bring him back or to stay with him. I can't really remember which. But, we were only five and six, you know? Can't plan too much at that age."

Nao burst out laughing. "I could see you two idiots wandering down some dirt road in Saxas with short pants and no direction!"

Kenta chuckled a bit too. "I never should've told you about the short pants. Poor Natsuki was wearing a dress at the time. Back then Mom was always shoving baby bro into a dress. Of course, Nat-kun had a talent for getting out of dresses and ending up in just about anything else. We didn't make it to a road. We got lost in our mother's west garden."

"How long were you out there for?"

"Not too long. Maybe a couple of hours, swearing we knew where we were going. I know when our brothers found us, we still thought we were going somewhere. We scared the hell out of our parents vanishing like that. They still bring it up sometimes."

"You've got a loving family," Nao commented, sobering up a bit after that observation.

"There are worse families out there. You've got a pretty good one too. I mean, you got Nat-kun," he teased.

The redhead scoffed, turning her mouth up as if she was insulted. "I don't care about that damned dog and she doesn't care about me."

Kenta did not argue, even though he begged to differ on that. Whenever he called Natsuki either for help or to just let her know how things were going, she asked about Nao. She tried to seem hostile about it or like she was checking on him somehow, but she checked on Nao through him. A couple of times, she even reminded him to treat Nao like a lady because that was what she wanted in a man. He took that to heart, treating Nao like a princess; Natsuki expressed pride in him when he told her that.

"Why do you call Natsuki a dog all the time?" Kenta asked curiously.

Nao thought about it for a moment. "I don't know actually. Something about her reminds me of a dog. Maybe it's the blind loyalty and obedience to the real dog among us—Shizuru. Something about her just always makes me think of dogs. I never really questioned it when I started calling her that."

Kenta nodded and was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Nao's cell phone going off. Nao pulled out the device and was surprised to see Shizuru was calling her. That was an odd thing.

"It's Shizuru. Usually, she would contact me by GEM if it was something important," Nao informed Kenta before answering. "Yo."

"Nao-san, have you seen Natsuki at all today or heard from her?" Shizuru asked, trying her best not to sound frantic, but with the way her heart was beating all she could do was panic. She could not find her beloved anywhere. This had never happened before and she did not enjoy it happening when Natsuki was heavy with their child.

"Uh…nope, I haven't. What's wrong, Shizuru?" Nao inquired, eyes shifting with worry. Natsuki was supposed to be the moody one, not Shizuru, so she wondered why Shizuru was acting so out of sorts.

"I'm trying to find Natsuki. What about Kenta-kun? Has he seen her at all?" Shizuru asked, talking rather fast.

"He's been with me all day, but I'll ask," Nao replied and she turned her attention to her companion. "Have you seen your sister at all today?"

"Nah. I spoke with her earlier to find out what was going on with Sakura, but nothing beyond that. We weren't even on the phone that long. Is something wrong?" he answered, concern now clouding his stormy eyes.

"I don't know yet. Shizuru hasn't been able to find Natsuki," Nao informed him and then went back to speaking with the frantic woman on the phone. "I'm guessing she's not in her office. Have you tried calling her?"

"I've called her with no answer, both her GEM and cell phone. I've had her paged. I've checked everywhere! I don't know where she is! I think something might have happened to her!" Shizuru explained and it sounded like she was ready to tear out her own hair.

"Calm down, Shizuru. Natsuki's a grown woman and it's not like something could happen to her. She's not the Second Column for nothing. Maybe she just wanted to get away," Nao proposed. Natsuki could be pretty lazy and irresponsible if given the chance, if only for a little while.

"No. I can feel it in my bones something's happened to her! I have to find her!" Shizuru cried.

"Shizuru, calm down! You know the dog doesn't wonder far from her master and she'll come back," Nao stated.

"You don't understand! She's never done anything like this and she needs her medication soon and I just have to find her!"

"Medication?" Nao echoed in a puzzled tone. "Shizuru, calm down. Kenta and I will help you look for her, okay? If all else fails you can track her through her GEM, but I'm sure everything is fine and you're just overreacting," she tried her best to assure the older Otome.

"I don't think I am. I can just feel something bad has happened. The last person Natsuki was with was Sakura. Do you think she would do something to Natsuki?"

"From what Kenta told me, she could try, but seriously, Shizuru, do you think that Sakura could hurt Natsuki? Natsuki is a badass Otome with a big ass gun and Sakura probably doesn't even know how to make a fist," the redhead pointed out.

"Natsuki's not as badass as you think," Shizuru muttered. Natsuki was almost seven months pregnant, could not use her nanomachines, and her nanomachines were being purposely kept at an all-time low in her body, so there was no way in hell that she was close to her usual strength or ability.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain it later. Please, go look for Natsuki and call in if you find anything, anything at all!" Shizuru implored and she ended the call before Nao could say anything further.

Nao looked at her phone as if it was some kind of foreign object. Kenta arched an eyebrow to the behavior while Nao put her phone away. She then turned her attention to her companion.

"Kenta, do you know anything about Natsuki taking medication?" Nao asked curiously.

"No, not that I heard of. Why?" Kenta countered.

"Because Shizuru's out of her mind about Natsuki being missing since that meeting with your wife. While she was rambling, she said something about Natsuki needing to take her medication soon. Now, I haven't known her as long as a lot of other people, but from what I could tell, a virus the size of an elephant probably couldn't stop that pup. So, why is she on medication?" Nao wondered aloud.

"Did Shizuru not explain?"

Nao shook her head. "Nope. Didn't explain at all and was talking fast enough for it to seem like she was speaking another language. She was too worried about Natsuki being gone. Like I said, she says that Natsuki's been gone since meeting with your wife. Any chance she stepped out to have a few not-so-friendly words with Princess Sakura?" she inquired, using the title mockingly.

Kenta rubbed his chin as he thought about it. "I'm sure it's crossed her mind a time or two, but Natsuki's not like that. We talk a good game, but we only save fighting for when it's really necessary. I don't see why it would be necessary for her to rough up someone that she knows she can beat."

Nao nodded in agreement with that. "Any chance your wife hijacked your sister?" she inquired with a curious expression.

Kenta laughed. "Have you seen how fat Natsuki is lately? The only way Sakura hijacked her big ass is with a forklift!"

Nao snickered. "That's the truth. Natsuki has put on a lot of weight lately now that you mention it. I didn't notice because she started wearing baggy clothes and dark clothes, but she is getting pretty fat now."

"Yeah, so I'm pretty sure Sakura couldn't hijack Natsuki even if she wanted to. Knowing Natsuki, she's probably some place cooling out and reading. If she got new motorcycle magazines we might not see her for the rest of the day. She loses track of time sometimes."

"That's true, but if that were the case, Shizuru would've found her by now. Shizuru has radar when it comes to your sister."

The blond shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, we'll help look for her."

A rather unladylike snort escaped Nao. "I don't give two damns about it. Shizuru was just nearly hysterical and I don't want her bugging us all day about it. Come on, Natsuki probably went to Mai's place to stuff her fat face full of noodles."

Shrugging again, Kenta followed the redhead out of the park. He had some trouble keeping up with her, but did not bother to point out that she seemed to be in a rush. In the back of her mind, Nao noted that Shizuru had killed her buzz and made a mental note to curse Natsuki out when they found her. Kenta wondered what was so urgent and with each step anxiety started gnawing at his belly, worrying about his baby sister.

"I hope I didn't get Nat-kun into any trouble," Kenta muttered.

"Don't think like that," Nao said to him.

"Well, she was last seen with Sakura…" Kenta gulped. Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling about things.

"Kenta, be serious. This is Natsuki we're talking about. She's probably just with Mai, stuffing her face full of noodles. She loves Mai's food almost as much as Mikoto does and it would explain why Shizuru can't find her since that place is way off campus," Nao replied, waving it off. Despite her words, her steps stayed long and fast, moving efficiently and almost leaving her friend in the dust.

"And if she's not?"

"I'm sure she is."

"And if she's not?"

"She is."

Kenta decided not to argue with her. Nao led him to Mai and Mikoto's home. The place was alive with visitors as usual. Mai was working her stand, but paused to offer a beaming smile at Nao and Kenta.

"Hey, Mai," Nao greeted the other redhead.

"Hi! Can I get you and…" Mai took in the person with Nao. "You're Natsuki's brother, right?" she asked, sounding quite excited.

"I am," Kenta confirmed.

"How have you been? Haven't seen you since the wedding," Mai commented, smiling at the surprise guest. "Natsuki doesn't talk much about you, even though you can see when she does how much she loves you."

"There's never much to talk about with me, so usually if you've heard one thing then that's pretty much it. Question, have you seen Natsuki at all today?" Kenta inquired politely.

"Natsuki?" Mai put her finger to her chin in thought. "No, I haven't seen Natsuki in a few months actually. The last time I saw her, she was in a horrible mood. She's called me a few times and I've called her since then, but I haven't seen her," she explained. Those words caused Kenta to turn to Nao.

"You sure you haven't seen her?" Nao pressed because now things did seem a little weird.

"I'm sure. She hasn't been around here in a few months. Why? What's going on?" Mai inquired curiously.

"Nothing," Nao answered, throwing her head back for the drama of it. "Shizuru called me looking for Natsuki. We thought she might be around here."

Mai shook her head. "I haven't seen her. Is everything all right?"

"Probably," the younger redhead answered in a distracted tone. She turned around and sighed, eyes searching for some sort of sign of the principal. "You know, Shizuru, she freaks out when Natsuki has as much as a hangnail."

Mai nodded. "Still, it has to be serious if you came here looking for her."

"Nah, just trying to keep Shizuru for going crazy on everyone. You know how she is," Nao remarked, forcing out a smile.

Mai nodded again, but she turned her attention to Kenta. He did not look as assured as Nao was trying to sound. Checking out Nao, she noticed that the younger woman appeared ready to continue her search, but probably did not know where to go.

"Kenta-san…" Mai started, but a hand up and a laugh stopped her.

"Please, you're a dear friend of my sister's. Just call me Kenta," he implored her.

Mai smiled. "Okay, Kenta. Do you think there's something wrong?"

With a shrug he responded, "I'm not sure. Nao is the one that spoke with Shizuru…"

Nao turned to eye her companion. His grey eyes seemed quite unsure, worried for the sister he considered his twin. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Shizuru is crazy. We all know that. She worries about Natsuki all the time. I'm sure this is nothing," Nao declared again. She then turned back to Mai. "Hey, do you know any reason for Natsuki to be on medication?"

The older redhead thought on it for a moment. "No. Whenever I spoke to her, she sounded quite fine. She never mentioned being sick. She was a little moody, but never seemed sick." A sigh escaped her as her shoulders dropped. "I suppose I'll have to check on Natsuki more often now. I can tell if she's lying better when I see her face to face."

"Never mind. I just thought it was weird because Shizuru mentioned medication, but Natsuki doesn't seem to be sick according to anyone else. Like I said, Shizuru is just crazy." Nao waved the whole thing off, yet her eyes wandered again, as if trying to find the Second Column.

"That's not fair. Shizuru is quite crazy about her sweetheart, but not crazy in general and you shouldn't discount her just because she's worried. You know it's a rare day indeed for Shizuru to not know where Natsuki is. How long ago did she lose Natsuki?" Mai inquired.

"I think the last time she saw Natsuki was at lunch," Nao answered.

"No, before that. Sakura was scheduled to see Natsuki at around eleven this morning," Kenta corrected her while checking his watch.

"Four hours on a workday? Not bad for Natsuki," Nao said with a nod. "You two might not know it, but Natsuki is well known for taking little constitutionals from her desk if her work pile gets too high."

"We might not know, but surely Shizuru does," Kenta pointed out. "She knows that Natsuki is prone to disappearing, but she was frantic anyway. That's got mean something, right?"

"He makes a point," Mai agreed.

"Fine, let's go see Shizuru and let her explain the whole thing. She's probably found her lost puppy by now and they're probably getting it on and we're just going crazy over nothing," Nao huffed.

"Give me a moment to pack up here and I'll come with you," Mai said.

Nao shrugged as if she did not care, but she could not help bouncing around while the older Otome closed up shop. Kenta put an arm around Nao, pulling her to him to keep her still. A hot blush burned his face as she glanced up at him and he looked away. She could not help smiling, silently thinking that he looked quite cute.

"Natsuki is fine, you know," Nao tried to assure him.

"I'm sure she is, but she is my baby sister and I won't feel better until I see with my own eyes that she's perfectly fine," Kenta replied, glancing down at her, but he looked away again he noticed that she was watching him. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Don't mind me if I seem a little weird right now. It's just a big brother thing."

Nao nodded and just leaned into him, silently offering her support. Mai eventually returned to them with Mikoto tucked under her arm. Mikoto greeted the pair with a smile, which they returned. With that, all four of them were off to Garderobe to catch up with Shizuru and hopefully see Natsuki.

The trip was made in silence while seeming to take forever and no time at the same time. They had to ask around to find Shizuru, not sure if she would be home or at Natsuki's office. They also asked around to find out if Natsuki was back yet. No, Natsuki was not back, but yes, Shizuru was home. They went to the apartment door and knocked a few times, but there was no answer.

"Knock , knock," Mai called into the apartment as they let themselves in. She had a spare key since she was the only person that Natsuki trusted not to come in and play a prank on her.

Silence greeted them. There were lights on and they heard Shizuru's voice off in the living room. Marching into that room, they saw that Shizuru was on the phone while pacing up and down the area. They watched quietly, letting her finish up with her phone call. Ruby red eyes, moist with concerned tears, acknowledged them as she dropped down onto the plush sofa.

"Have you seen Natsuki at all today?" Shizuru begged to know.

The sight of the Graceful Amethyst, looking as if she had been put through Hell, was not what they expected to see. They all paused to take in the sight and try to gather from the look from Shizuru how serious the matter was. Was this really just Shizuru overreacting or was it something more?

"No one has seen her all day, Shizuru. Why don't you explain to us why this is such a big deal?" Kenta requested in a gentle tone, stepping next to her. He took her hand in his, hoping to offer her some small comfort and rid of her of the desperate look of pure anguish.

Shizuru sniffled. "I've been trying to find Natsuki for the past few hours and no one's seen her anywhere. She's not in any of her usual hideaway spaces. Miss Maria hasn't even been able to track her down. _I_ couldn't track her down. I'm worried that something's happened to her. I can't get into contact with her and she hasn't gotten in touch with me, even though she knows how much I worry, especially now."

"C'mon, Shizuru, you know how lazy that pup can get. She probably just curled up in a corner somewhere and fell asleep," Nao objected.

"It's not like that this time," Shizuru said in a deadly serious whisper. "It's definitely not like that this time."

"Then tell us what it's like since you're acting all secretive. If you're so fucking worried, why not just have Youko contact her GEM or track her GEM and just show up where she is and kick the shit out of her for worrying you so much?" Nao suggested, earning sidelong glances from the other people that she came with. "What?" She shrugged. "It's an effective and proven method of dealing with Natsuki's stupidity."

"It's not like that, Nao. I've called Youko-sensei and asked her to track Natsuki's GEM because as I said, Natsuki is not answering calls from it or from her phone. I cannot get in touch with Natsuki at all and I fear there's a sinister reason for it," Shizuru replied with a sigh, running shaky fingers through her frizzed hair.

"Explain it to us, Shizuru-san," Mai asked, sounding just as gentle as Kenta had earlier.

"Tell us the whole story," Kenta added.

Shizuru nodded pathetically. "Please, have a seat and I will explain why I am having such a terrible reaction."

"Do we really need to take a seat?" Mai asked. Sitting down rarely meant good news.

"It's always been my experience that when someone tells you to take a seat before they tell you something, it is sound advice," Shizuru replied.

Mai nodded to that. She took a seat with Mikoto sitting quietly next to her. Kenta was not sure if he should sit with Nao or continue to offer Shizuru support. He turned to look at his redheaded friend, who gave him a small nod. Kenta kneeled beside Shizuru, keeping her hand secure in his own, while Nao took a seat in an armchair across from the distressed Otome.

"I know you think I'm just being silly, but I assure you that I'm not. I've never _not_ been able to get in touch with Natsuki. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal because every now and then Natsuki does shrug off all her responsibility for a couple of hours to relax, but I know this is not one of those times. If it was, I would have been able to easily find her as she only goes to a few places to relax. Even if I couldn't, Miss Maria would have found her. Even if she managed to avoid both me and Miss Maria, she would have answered my calls. Natsuki does not ignore me," Shizuru informed them.

"There's a first time for everything," Nao commented.

"You guys aren't fighting or anything like that, right?" Mai asked just to be sure.

Shizuru shook her head. "Natsuki and I are getting along excellently. Beyond excellent really."

"You think this has something to do with Sakura, don't you?" Kenta inquired.

Ruby eyes drifted down to the blond male. "Sadly, yes, I do think that Natsuki's disappearance has something to do with Sakura. She was the last person seen with Natsuki and they are not friends. Do you think that she's capable of harming Natsuki to get you back, Kenta-kun?"

"Right now, I wouldn't put anything past Sakura. She's ambitious to a fault, but I don't think she's got the manpower to do anything to Natsuki and on Natsuki's turf. That just seems a bit farfetched to me," Kenta replied.

"What if she did have the manpower?" Shizuru asked.

"I suppose anything is possible then. I know she's really trying to find me and according to Natsuki, Sakura swears to the Heavens that Natsuki knows where I am all the time. So, I would say yes if she had the manpower, she might try. She's desperate. She knows about Nao, she's upset for revealing so much of her plan to me, and she's scared that I'm going to eventually make her plans known. She could lose everything, so yes, I think she would do anything if she could," Kenta answered.

"Then I think that she might have done something. Natsuki was not at her top strength and she hasn't been for over nine months," Shizuru informed them. The news earned her curious and confused looks for everyone.

"This has something to do with her being on medication, doesn't it?" Nao inquired.

Shizuru nodded again. "In a perfect world, Natsuki and I would have held a wonderful gathering to tell everyone about this. Unfortunately, the world isn't perfect and right now it is downright cruel. We had talked about having a baby as our one year anniversary approached. We both agreed that we very much wanted to start our family as soon as possible, so we visited Youko-sensei to ask about the procedure. She informed us that trying to have a baby with the nanomachines still active was risky, but we put on brave faces and decided to face those risks head on because we wanted our first child now. In order to have our baby, Natsuki had to undergo certain treatments…"

"Are you saying that the pup isn't just getting fat?" Nao interrupted in shock. There were some things that were hard to imagine—Natsuki being in a family way was high on that list.

"The treatments first allowed her body to accept a baby with both of our genes and allowed her to become pregnant with my child. Mai and Nao might remember Natsuki's horrible mood swings from some months ago. They were caused by the medication she was on for the procedure. The reason we didn't tell anyone was because we were not sure it would work…" Shizuru paused to let loose a long sigh.

"But, it seemed to work if Nao says that Natsuki is getting fat. Why didn't you say anything?" Mai asked.

"Because after we found out that she was pregnant, Youko-sensei told us that the baby was always at risk for an abortion by the nanomachines. The nanomachines see the child as a foreign element in the body and like all foreign elements, they move in to destroy it. When she was three months along we had a very bad scare, finding out that the nanomachines had caused Natsuki to become ill and they were trying to get the baby. Natsuki's own body had kept the nanomachines at bay for days, but she was so sick and we didn't know if the baby would survive. I was beside myself and we didn't want to put anyone else through that feeling. We didn't want you to celebrate with us only to mourn with us later," Shizuru explained and she received a tight squeeze from her brother-in-law.

"Silly, Shizuru-chan and Nat-kun," Kenta said, shaking his head. "Family is there to feel your joy as well as your sorrow. You don't need to protect us or shield us from that. We would have and should have been there with you through that."

Shizuru could not help smiling at him. "We know, but we honestly didn't want to put you all through it. We had plans to say something soon because Natsuki was showing, but it never seemed like the right time and we never knew who we should tell first. Natsuki had been doing so well. She has fabulous checkups and takes her medication to suppress her nanomachines as well as taking medications for Takara's health," Shizuru said.

"Takara?" Mai echoed.

"We decided to name the baby Takara. Natsuki is almost seven months pregnant with her…" Tears slid down Shizuru's cheeks. "I'm sure it's nothing to be alerted over, but Natsuki wouldn't do this now. She wouldn't just disappear now."

"Don't worry, Shizuru-chan. We will find Natsuki and we will bring her and Takara back," Kenta vowed. No one said a word; it was clear from the looks in their eyes that they all agreed with him. They would not only find Natsuki, but they would find out who dared to touch her.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki is in serious trouble.


	10. Caught

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

10: Caught

Natsuki groaned as her eyes opened. She found the world around her to be fuzzy and her head felt like it was swimming. For a moment, she wondered if she was drunk, but she remembered that she had not had a drink since becoming pregnant. _Pregnant? Takara!_

The ebony-haired Otome tried to bring her arms up to feel her stomach and make sure the baby was all right, but found it quite impossible. Her arms would not move; her wrists were bound by cold metal from the feel of things. Trying to assess the situation, Natsuki blinked a few times with the hope of clearing her vision. It did not work. _Damn it! I'm in serious trouble, I know. I just know it_.

She attempted to remember how she got into her current predicament, but nothing was coming to mind. It felt like her head was crammed full of bubbles. She could not even recall getting out of bed that morning. The mystery would be cleared up sooner than she liked.

"Are you awake now, Headmistress?"

The voice sent a shiver through Natsuki and froze her blood. That definitely was not a reaction she liked while she was bound and unable to move, unable to protect the baby. She knew that voice—Tomoe. Tomoe was probably holding her captive.

Now she remembered that she had been drugged and bits of things started coming to her. Sakura probably did the drugging from what she could piece together, recalling that she had not felt well even back at her office when she was meeting with Sakura. Her "dear" sister-in-law had then questioned her about Kenta. After leaving Sakura abandoned her with Tomoe, the green-haired maniac had dragged her to a car. While in the car, she had enjoyed injecting Natsuki with some clear liquid that felt like it burned her muscles and bones. Tomoe then delighted in beating her about the face for no good reason.

"While you were sleeping, I was just getting to know Shizuru-onee-sama's baby," Tomoe commented. Natsuki could more easily hear the smile on her face than see it.

"Don't you dare touch Takara," Natsuki snarled, sounding much more menacing than she felt at the moment. In fact, she was half certain that her body had become liquid goo that would not do anyone any good, but she would be damned if she would show any weakness to this sow.

"Takara? No, no, no, that name will never do. Shizuru-onee-sama's baby deserves a much more beautiful name. I think that she and I will pick out the name after our daughter is born," Tomoe commented, sounding almost cheerful about that.

"Your daughter? You really have lost whatever mind you had left, huh?" Natsuki inquired, not thinking about how she was at Tomoe's mercy. Mercy that she was sure the younger woman did not have.

"I haven't lost anything. This was supposed to be my baby with Shizuru-onee-sama! You ruined everything, just like that pesky little ant tried to ruin everything before! I focused on the wrong person before, but now I've got it figured out, Headmistress. Once I get rid of you, Shizuru-onee-sama will see that I'm the one for her," Tomoe proclaimed proudly.

Natsuki tried to laugh, but she ended up coughing. Her eyesight started to clear up, giving her a better view of where she was. It was dim, almost dark. Her eyes were locked on rocks above head; they looked suspiciously like stalactites. Glancing to the side, she could not see too far, but darkness quickly swallowed any details of the place. From what she could tell, they were in a cave of some kind.

"You do know…they're going to come after me. They're going to find me and come get me and when I get out of here I'm going to whip your demented ass!" Natsuki declared with a furious snarl. She was not too upset that Tomoe was threatening her, but Tomoe was a threat to her baby.

Tomoe chuckled. "You sure talk really big for someone at my mercy," she commented, walking around Natsuki.

The principal growled as she watched Tomoe circle her like a curious buzzard. A crooked, wicked smirk tugged at Tomoe's face, turning her features into something Natsuki imagined the devil looked like. She wondered when Tomoe became _this_ freaking crazy. _Maybe I had her in that headlock a little too tightly before and cut off all the air to her brain_.

"Tomoe, think this through," Natsuki said as calmly as she possibly could. It would do her no good to piss off Tomoe while she was essentially immobilized and not even clearheaded enough to know what was holding her down.

"Oh, I have, principal! I have thought this out very well!" Tomoe proclaimed, still grinning like a happy piranha. "It started with your little sister-in-law. It all points to her, you know. The drugs, the fact that she thought you had information for her, she was the last person you were seen with, and when they do catch up to her, she's going to lead them to a house where you're not. Even if she brings me up, they'll assume she's lying because you're not where she'll tell you are. They probably assume she chose to blame me after seeing how you treated me back in Saxas. They'll then assume that she's done something to you, probably killed you or something barbaric like that. Hopefully, she'll get a nice long punishment for all of the horrible things that she said about Shizuru-onee-sama. And then there's you, principal."

Natsuki snorted. "What about me?" She hated to admit that it did seem like Tomoe had thought things out rather well. But, she knew that Shizuru never would just accept everything as neatly as Tomoe hoped. Shizuru would be after her, for her sake, for the baby's sake, for their family's sake.

"You see, you can't lift your head to find out what I have waiting for you, but let me explain a few things. I've waited a long time for this and researched it as time went by. Right now, we're deep underground and blocked by enough earth and metal that makes it certain you will not be tracked. No signal will be getting in or out of here. None, not even from your nanomachines. Your GEM is gone and disabled thanks to my genius, so there is no way for anyone to find you. None." She paused, waiting for a smartass remark from the older woman that did not come. "Well, don't you have something to say?" Tomoe demanded.

"What? That was your whole evil rant? In the movies they're usually longer," Natsuki commented. With luck, she figured that she would be able to keep Tomoe talking until she thought up a way out of her current mess…or at the very least regained some feeling in her fingertips.

"You should try to be nicer to me, Principal. I do have your fate in the palm of my hand," Tomoe stated bluntly.

"Is that it? You plan to kill me?" Natsuki inquired as if she was unimpressed, keeping her cool.

"Oh, no, principal. I could never do that. Not while you're carrying my little piece of Shizuru-onee-sama anyway." Tomoe's hand traveled down to Natsuki's swollen belly, caressing the body part like it was a pet. "No, I couldn't kill you while you carry such precious cargo. This is my child with Shizuru-onee-sama, after all."

"Tomoe, I'm almost certain you weren't this fucking crazy the last time I saw you. Or this bent on my personal destruction either. What the hell happened?" Natsuki asked, genuinely curious.

"What the hell happened?" Tomoe echoed and put her finger to her chin, as if she were trying to recall. "After my aunt brought me back home, she claimed that I was harassing Shizuru-onee-sama and that I made you, the great and powerful principal, do something so unladylike to defend your fiancée! My parents insisted that I was growing obsessed with Shizuru-onee-sama again and they had me committed and forced into therapy, but there is nothing wrong with me! You made my aunt think I was out of my mind, but I'm not!"

"I beg to differ," Natsuki muttered.

"Everyone kept insisting I was delusional and that I was bordering on schizophrenia or was suffering from some sort of personality disorder. There was all this medication and therapy that I didn't need!" Tomoe shouted in anger, tearing at her hair for a moment.

Natsuki doubted that was true, but she had to admit that all the medication and therapy really only seemed to make Tomoe worse. And as she thought about medication, she remembered her own. The urge ran through her to place her hand on her stomach as a quiet vow to the baby that everything would be all right, but her bonds kept her in place. Tomoe noticed her trying to move against the metal, though.

"I like it when you struggle, principal. It makes me want to punish you," Tomoe commented with a demented grin.

"Tomoe, listen to me," Natsuki said as the green-haired woman stepped out of her view. "I understand that times have been rough for you, but kidnapping me and trying to force Shizuru to love you isn't going to solve anything. It's only going to make matters worse," she insisted.

"No! Making matters worse was when you kept me from Shizuru-onee-sama the first time! You're the reason my aunt told my parents all those lies! You're the reason the doctors kept trying to make me think I was the one out of my mind and I was living in a fantasy world! I see it all clearly now; you've stolen my life, principal. You took the life I was supposed to have with Shizuru-onee-sama. I will have that life," Tomoe vowed darkly.

"Tomoe, think about this—" Natsuki said, but she was cut off. She was so panicked now that she forgot that she had said that already.

"I told you already that I have, principal. Believe me, I have. I know exactly what I want to do to you because of all of that thinking. So, just sit back and enjoy the show. I'll be sure not to harm my baby in the process," Tomoe promised as she came back over just in time for to see that Tomoe was holding a cat-o-nine-tails whip. "The scourging is going to be first because I really want to hear you scream in pain for the way you manhandled me the last time we saw each other."

Natsuki took a deep breath to steel herself. A beating was nothing, she assured herself. Mustering her cockiest voice, she made a simple request. "Just be careful of the stomach."

Tomoe growled and moved Natsuki into a better position. It was then that Natsuki realized that she had been reclined on a metal table, but obviously Tomoe had made a lot of adjustments and planned for her prisoner. The pull of a lever hoisted the emerald-eyed woman from the table, forcing her to her feet. Leg restraints opened automatically as she was pulled up. As she was left with her arms in the air and standing on her toes, Natsuki let a silent prayer go—let the baby survive.

"I was going to strip you, but I'm sure it'll be more fun to just go through your clothes," Tomoe decided and she let the whip fly. Natsuki did not cry out as she felt a flick against her back. She hoped that her jacket and shirt lasted longer than Tomoe's arm.

* * *

Kenta and Nao decided to take up the search for Sakura, believing that if they found her, then they would find Natsuki. They left Shizuru in Mai's care. The latter pair was busying themselves by making phone calls to see if anyone had seen Natsuki, but they were not having any luck. Shizuru had pled for Kenta to call her if they found Sakura and she was the one behind things.

"Do you really think that Sakura was behind this?" Nao inquired as they went to the hotel that Sakura was staying at. Shizuru had the information, not that Kenta needed it. It figured that his very spoiled and self-important wife would stay in the most expensive, grandiose hotel in the whole kingdom.

"I think that she could be. It doesn't help that she's the last known person to be with Natsuki," Kenta answered.

"But what would she do with Natsuki?"

"Try to find me or lure me out of hiding. I should've just told everyone what she was up to. No, I didn't have any proof and she might have spun it to make it sound like I was reading too many war books, but that would've been better than this," Kenta said, shaking his head.

"You can't blame yourself."

"I can and will! What kind of coward runs to his baby sister when he gets in trouble? I should've just told everyone what she was up to."

"What good would that have done if they wouldn't have believed you? She would have just been more cautious and she wouldn't have let you know what she was doing anymore. Before you know it, she could've pulled off the coup and your whole country would be shot to shit. Listen to me, you know that pup of a sister of yours isn't blaming you. You came to her because you knew that she could offer you the support and help that you needed and she was happy to give it. Now, you need to give her support and help by finding her and not blaming yourself."

Kenta smiled a bit and nodded. One of the things that he liked about Nao was that she told it like it was without sugarcoating things. She also had a good talent of giving him a figurative kick in the ass when he needed one, like now.

"I bet Sakura never tells me anything again," Kenta remarked.

"Lucky you, you don't have to hear from a nagging wife anymore."

The blond nodded and they went into the hotel. Kenta showed that he was not totally useless and was easily able to get the clerk to tell him about what room Sakura was staying in; a royal badge and passbook went a long way. Nao hung back while Kenta spoke with the desk clerk for a few minutes. He then returned to the redhead.

"So, what happened?" Nao inquired as Kenta led her out of the hotel.

"He said that Sakura hasn't been back at her room since this morning, around the time that she would have left to meet with Natsuki," Kenta answered.

"Okay, so we know she met with Natsuki. Now what?"

"Well, she met with Natsuki looking for me. If she took Natsuki, she would want to know where I am."

"But, would Natsuki tell her?" Nao wondered aloud. "I doubt it."

"I doubt it too. Still, if she hasn't been back here, she's out looking for me or trying to get the information from Natsuki. Let's go check places she thinks I would be," Kenta suggested.

Nao agreed with that. They rushed off to go to obvious places Kenta would like. They did not have any luck on that. They contacted Shizuru after a couple of hours to let her know that their status had not changed. Shizuru was sad to report the same thing.

"Shit! If I were me, where the hell would I be and would Sakura check there?" Kenta growled as he scratched the back of his head. It was getting late and now they were sure something happened to Natsuki because she had not turned up and it was close to dinner time for her.

"Calm down and think about this carefully," Nao said, grabbing onto his arm to help him keep his composure.

"Fine. We've been like to every place I would go to and we haven't seen Sakura yet! Natsuki's been missing for over six hours and Shizuru said she's already missed her time to take her medication. God, what if something happens to the baby?" Kenta looked ready to punch something and also ready to burst into tears.

"The pup's tough and I bet the baby is too. One miss isn't going to stop her or that kid," Nao assured him. "Now, let's think where haven't we been…" She searched her mind, but it really seemed like they had gone every place that would appeal to a Kruger. She then slapped herself in the forehead. "You know, we didn't go to the one obvious place."

"Obvious place?" he echoed, glancing at her. The look in her eyes must have triggered something in his mind because realization struck him. "We haven't been to the hotel!"

"Let's get there and hope for the best!"

The duo ran off. Nao had to resist the temptation of activating her Robe to get to the hotel faster, but that would draw too much attention and she wanted to convince herself that things were not that serious anyway. Natsuki was probably fine, she told herself. They would find her alive and well and then she could get back to teasing Kenta.

"What if this whole thing is just a wild goose chase? What if Sakura doesn't know what happened?" Kenta asked.

"Stop worrying so much. You're going to make yourself sick," Nao replied. "Think about what happens when we find Natsuki and we kick her ass for not telling us she's pregnant. Think about that."

Kenta nodded and smiled, trying to picture in his head the safe return of his baby sister and everyone getting on her case for letting them think that she was just gaining weight. As they came to the hotel, Kenta spotted his wife almost immediately. He was on her faster than Nao had ever seen—and that included Otomes in their Robes.

Kenta was ready to wrap his arms around Sakura's throat, but he held off. Glaring down on her, his body shook with unaired fury. As she calmly climbed to her feet, he had to quell the urge to slap her.

"Kenta, I was wondering if you would ever arrive. Come, we're going home," Sakura calmly ordered.

"The hell with that! What the fuck have you done with Natsuki!" Kenta demanded to know, face burning red from his outrage. He could not believe the gall of this bitch that was in front of him, daring to command him after all she did!

"Natsuki-hime? What makes you think I would have done anything with her?" Sakura asked, innocence shining through her eyes a little too much for her husband to believe.

"Because you were the last person to see her! Now, what the fuck did you do with my sister!" Kenta hollered, earning stares from the few people in the lobby. Nao came up against his back and put her hand on his shoulder to cool him down.

"Kenta," Nao said. "You have to calm down or they'll end up throwing us out before we know what the hell is going on."

He turned to face Nao, eyes imploring her. "How can I calm down when I know she did something to Natsuki?" he growled.

"Then let's get to the bottom of it," the redhead suggested with a twisted smile.

He nodded and then turned his attention back to Sakura. "Okay, look, you were the last person with Natsuki…"

Sakura was not paying Kenta any mind. Her attention was focused on Nao and the comfortable way that the young woman had her supple body pressed up against her husband's form. Her eyes shot chilled daggers at Nao, who only smirked more.

"Kenta, who is this woman?" Sakura demanded, pointing a well-manicured finger at Nao.

"Doesn't matter who this woman is. What matters is what happened to Natsuki and that's what you're going to tell us. You were the last person to see Natsuki," Kenta repeated.

"Did something happen to Natsuki-hime? When I last saw her, she seemed perfectly fine. She whined some about cookies or something. Very unladylike behavior," Sakura answered, turning her nose up in disgust with Natsuki's behavior.

"What happened after you left Natsuki?" Kenta inquired.

"I went searching for you. Now you are found, and we can return home," Sakura declared.

"Fuck no, we can't. We're not going anywhere until Natsuki turns up and we're not accepting your bullshit story either. Come with us," Kenta commanded Sakura, not leaving any room for argument.

The blond took Sakura by the elbow and led her out of the hotel. She was so shocked by her husband's sudden forcefulness that she did not even out up a struggle. From his grip, she knew that escape would have been impossible anyway. Nao was ready to whisk her away too if she decided to scream or anything that might attract unwanted attention.

"Kenta—" Sakura started to speak as her wits returned to her.

"Don't talk," Kenta ordered curtly. "I'm really not in the mood to hear you right now and I won't be responsible for my actions if you started spitting some bullshit," he informed her quite seriously.

Sakura took the hint, never having heard such anger from a Kruger sibling, especially her husband. The grip that he had on her elbow helped to keep her mouth shut, telling her just how strong he really was. She never imagined the power he was hiding in his compact form. The trip back to Garderobe was uneventful, aside from Kenta glaring at his wife every now and then. Sakura worked out how she was going to get out of things in her mind as they traveled.

"Is Shizuru still at her apartment or is she at Natsuki's office?" Kenta asked Nao.

"Apartment," Nao answered.

They went directly to the principal's suite. Shizuru was slumped over in the armchair in the living room and Mai was on the phone. Mikoto was rubbing Shizuru's back, trying to comfort the distressed Otome.

"Sit," Kenta ordered his wife, pointing down to the couch. He then stepped over to his sister-in-law. "Shizuru-chan, you have to be strong," he told her, putting his hand on her shoulder. He found it easier to be strong for her, to try to help her keep it together than he could do those things for himself.

"I'm fine, Kenta-kun. I'm just tired of making phone calls and tired of not getting anything back," Shizuru informed him as she picked up her head. Her crimson eyes were shining with unshed tears and laced with worry. "No one has seen Natsuki all day. Youko-sensei is working on tracking her GEM and her nanomachines. She's not surprised by not getting any signal from the nanomachines because they should be extremely low in Natsuki's system, but she is worried about the fact that the GEM is not responding. Something is very wrong."

"Then maybe you'd like to help me find out from Sakura what's wrong and where Nat-kun is," Kenta suggested, motioning over to his seated spouse.

Shizuru turned her eyes to the princess. Sakura felt a subzero chill shoot through her when those blood-red eyes locked onto her. Shizuru climbed to her proper height and stalked over to the princess, power and strength pouring off of her with each elegant step. Looming over Sakura, Shizuru glowered down at her. She then asked a very simple question while Sakura squirmed in her seat.

"Where is Natsuki?" the Third Column inquired in a very controlled tone. There was something dangerous, almost deadly in her voice.

Sakura gulped loudly. "I don't know…" Her voice quivered just a little, coming out lower than she meant to.

"You do know. You were the last person to see her. Tell me where my wife is," Shizuru said in the same manner.

"I do not know." Her voice was stronger that time, but her heart rate was faster than ever. There was something very lethal about Shizuru and Sakura knew that she needed to tread carefully with the Otome.

Shizuru nodded and then she leaned down to speak in Sakura's ear. The Graceful Amethyst whispered to her, so no one else in the room could hear. The others did watch as Sakura's face went totally pale. As Shizuru stood back up, glaring down at Sakura in a manner that made her visibly shake. Shizuru was about to continue speaking, but the phone rang and she was interrupted.

"It's Youko-sensei," Mai reported, handing the phone to the brunette Otome.

Shizuru quickly reached for the phone and answered. "Please, Youko-sensei, tell me you have my beloved!" her voice was beyond desperate.

"I was able to track down her GEM. I figured you'd want to know where and go there yourself," Youko answered.

"I would!"

"All right. Please, don't go by yourself, Shizuru-san. Take Mai with you," Youko requested.

"I will," Shizuru said. She knew taking Mai with her was supposed to be assurance that she did not lose it on whoever might have taken her spouse. She then waited for Youko to give her directions to the place and she disconnected the call. "Youko-sensei has located Natsuki's GEM. We can go there now."

"Then let's get moving!" Kenta declared, moving for the door, not thinking about how he had no clue where they were going.

"You can come along," Shizuru stated almost politely, taking Sakura by the arm in a very impolite manner and grip.

"I can walk on my own!" Sakura barked, trying to yank her limb back. All she got for her effort was Shizuru crushing her arm, causing her to scream in agony.

Shizuru did not say anything, but continued to drag the princess with her. No one commented on Shizuru's handling of Sakura. They knew that saying anything would only agitate Shizuru and they thought that Sakura needed to understand just what kind of trouble she was in. If they did not find Natsuki soon, the last thing on Sakura's mind would be the pain in her arm.

Mai, Nao, and Mikoto followed behind Shizuru. Shizuru moved to catch Kenta before they had to look for him too. She told Nao to keep a better eye on him because one missing Kruger was more than enough. Nao only nodded, recognizing the furious aura radiating from the Graceful Amethyst.

The group had no problem with finding the place that Youko located Natsuki's GEM at. Everyone looked unimpressed with the broken down structure. Sakura was ready to faint when they pulled up to the bungalow. She hoped that Tomoe was able to get Natsuki those drugs to make her forget what happened or they were going to be in serious trouble.

"Doesn't look like anyone's here," Nao noted.

"Or they've been here in a while," Mia added on.

Shizuru and Kenta stepped inside, scanning the area with their eyes as well as watching Sakura. For the most part, she was keeping her calm, but they watched her carefully. Her eyes seemed to be searching the area just as much as they were and they doubted it was out of concern for Natsuki.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Mikoto called from the back of the house.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru asked with hope, moving swiftly to the back. Everyone else was right behind her.

When they came to the open backyard, they were able to see that Mikoto had not found Natsuki. Something on the ground had her attention, but they could not see what in the fading daylight until they got close to it. Shizuru bent down and picked up the cracked and broken GEM; Tomoe had driven over it hours earlier.

"Natsuki's GEM," Shizuru muttered and then she turned her eyes back to the ground.

"There are some tracks, but they lead right to a road and disappear," Mikoto said. "Whoever has Natsuki is probably long gone…"

"Natsuki…" Shizuru whispered and then she shocked everyone by taking off running. Before they could say anything, she was in her Robe and speeding off in the direction that the tracks were facing.

"Should we go after her?" Nao wondered aloud.

"No, she might luck out and find Natsuki. If not, she might wear herself out and at least be able to sleep later on. This is really hitting her hard," Mai replied.

"That's understandable. Some of us aren't married to backstabbing bitches," Kenta stated, snarling in his wife's direction. "Don't think this over either, Sakura. I know you had something to do with this and I swear if as much as a hair is out of place on my sister, I will see you rot in prison!" he declared, storming off. Nao immediately followed him.

Mai did not move, making sure to keep an eye on Sakura, who seemed to be disturbingly unconcerned about her husband, the Otome noted. Sakura was more curious as to where the hell Tomoe took Natsuki. They had not discussed moving the ebony-haired Otome and obviously Tomoe had not given Natsuki the drug to make her forget the day and then sent her home.

Sakura wondered if Tomoe had double-crossed her somehow. She wondered how she was going to get out of this mess. She wondered if she was as screwed as she felt, especially if the pain in her arm was any indication of how strong Shizuru was. If something happened to Natsuki, she imagined that she was even more screwed than she felt.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki spends more time with Tomoe while Shizuru continues her search.


	11. Reinforcements

I don't own these characters: Sunrise does.

11: Reinforcements

Natsuki awoke to the taste of blood in her mouth. For a moment, she could not recall why that was, but then the agony of a hundred lashes shot through her body and she easily remembered. She could taste the sting of Tomoe's whip against her skin, carefully striking everywhere but her enlarged stomach. Tearing away clothing at first, but that soon turned to flesh. She had blacked out eventually; more than likely to escape Tomoe's maniacal laughter than any real pain, she quietly assured herself.

"You awake? At first I was afraid that I killed you," Tomoe commented, sounding somewhat amused by the thought more than anything else. Her voice seemed to be coming from behind Natsuki, but it was hard for the Second Column to tell because her voice echoed in the cave.

"What do you care if you did?" Natsuki groaned. Her voice was in shambles already. She felt weak, not of strength, but of will and mind. Disgust directed toward herself coursed through her. She could not believe that she had given Tomoe the satisfaction of passing out during one scourging. _Some fucking Column I turned out to be!_

"Well, it would be so terrible if my plaything expired the first time out of the box, wouldn't it?" Tomoe asked with a smile that could be heard in her voice. Slowly, she approached her victim, who was still hanging up by her wrists.

"I wouldn't be killed by scum like you," Natsuki spat, a sneer pulling at her lip.

"Big words for a bitch on a leash," Tomoe jeered in return. She stepped in front of Natsuki, showing that she was holding a cup.

Emerald eyes immediately shot the cup. Somehow, she could tell that there was water in the cup. Her dried lips longed for a cool sip and her tongue darted out without her permission to wet her lips. Tomoe chuckled, looking quite demonic.

"You want some water?" the green-haired woman asked, a taunting glint in her eyes.

"I don't want shit from you!" Natsuki hissed. She might not want anything, but she could feel the need for that water.

"Careful of what you suggest. I do have to feed you, after all. Now, you want some water? I have no problem with giving it to you," Tomoe assured her.

"Fuck you," Natsuki proclaimed, defiantly sticking her chin in the air. It took a lot of power for her to make that simple move.

Tomoe shook her head and then wagged a reprimanding finger at the principal. "Now that's no way to talk to an expecting mother."

"You're really fucking mental, you know that?" Natsuki said, even though she thought that was obvious. She decided that _when_ she made it out of this mess, she was going to start pushing for better treatment of mentally ill patients because whatever care Tomoe was supposed to have received, she did not get. And whatever help she supposedly had had seriously warped whatever sanity was left in her.

"No, no, no. I'm perfectly clear now, my dear principal. Everything makes perfect sense to me now. I had always been angry toward the wrong person. That little ant. I shouldn't have even considered her challenge! It was always you! You're the one that always stood in my way! I just didn't see it before, but I see it perfectly well now. You were always the one between me and Shizuru-onee-sama, but once you're gone, she'll be free to express her love for me. We can be a family then. Me, her, and our beautiful new baby girl."

Tomoe reached out to pat Natsuki's stomach. The ebony-haired Otome reeled back as if the touch would burn her, trying to escape Tomoe. Tomoe only laughed, finding the useless retreat amusing. Natsuki could not really go anywhere and eventually she lost the struggle. Tomoe caressed her stomach and Natsuki felt nauseous. She could have sworn that the baby flipped violently when Tomoe came into contact with her skin.

"Hello, Takara," Tomoe purred as she pressed a bit on Natsuki's belly.

"Don't you dare say her name!" Natsuki ordered, making her dry throat raw from shouting.

"Don't worry. That's not her name. Takara is a weak name, I told you. My daughter with Shizuru-onee-sama needs a strong name to honor Shizuru-onee-sama. You're obviously so worthless that you couldn't think of anything better," Tomoe declared.

"I'd tell you that you don't know what you're doing, but I know that won't make a difference to you. You're crazy. You should know that I'm going to get out of here and I'm going to break my foot off in your ass," Natsuki promised her jailer. The determined look on her face would have scared most people and they would have known that she was telling the truth.

Tomoe smiled and laughed a bit. "You continue thinking that, but I'm only going to keep you alive until I feel safe taking my daughter from you to share her with Shizuru-onee-sama."

"Taking her from me?" the Otome echoed, her forehead wrinkling from confusion. She really did not like the way that sounded and she could only wonder what Tomoe meant.

"Oh, yes. You can't keep my baby, after all, principal. She's mine and Shizuru-onee-sama's. We'll raise her well. You can watch from Heaven," Tomoe commented with a crooked grin.

"How do you plan on taking her from me?" Natsuki inquired calmly. Mentally, she forced herself to remain calm. She had to do if for the baby. She had to survive this for the baby and Shizuru. She had to get out of this for their family.

"Don't you worry about that. You'll be gone before I start cutting her out of you," Tomoe replied in a rather chipper tone. She was looking forward to destroying the woman that she perceived as an uppity princess that did not deserve her goddess.

Natsuki smirked, looking quite cocky. Before she could say anything, Tomoe marched over to her and slapped her hard in the face. Blood flew from her nose as her head snapped to the side. Tomoe grabbed her by the jaw and put pressure on her cheeks while forcing Natsuki to turn back to her.

"You don't smile at me like that! You're not in charge here! So, you don't look at me like that!" Tomoe commanded her.

"What does it matter how I look if you're the one in charge? You should be able to control me," Natsuki taunted the younger woman, going so far as to force out a laugh. She felt like she might have a better shot at getting out of this if she did keep Tomoe off balance…not that she needed much help. She knew it was possible that if she bored Tomoe, the green-haired woman might just be rid of her before she was able to get away.

The younger woman growled and put more pressure on Natsuki's face. For a moment, it felt like she might actually break the Second Column's jaw. But, then she suddenly let go and regained that haughty air from moments ago.

"Oh, I will control you. I will make you admit that you do not deserve Shizuru-onee-sama before I end you. Trust me, principal, I will control you. Hell, I control you now," Tomoe bragged and to prove her point, she forced the cup of water to Natsuki's lips.

Natsuki was very tempted to resist or maybe even spit the water in Tomoe's face. The baby held her back from doing such things. She needed to stay as strong and healthy as possible for the baby. So, she drank the water, praying that it helped Takara stay alive.

"Good," Tomoe cooed. "Now, we'll get some food to Takara and then we'll get back to you, principal."

Natsuki growled, hating to hear Tomoe say her daughter's name. But, that did keep her thinking about the baby. She had to survive anything that Tomoe threw at her for the baby. She had to eat and drink whatever Tomoe was willing to give her for the baby. She eventually had to get the hell out of here for the baby and for Shizuru.

* * *

Nao, Kenta, Mai, Mikoto, and Sakura returned to Garderobe without Shizuru. Kenta was worried about his sister-in-law and it was clear from the look on his face, so Mai led the way to one person that she thought would be able to set his nerves at ease. They went to Youko.

"What's going on?" the scientist inquired. She was not used to seeing so many people at one time. Not to mention, four out of five of them looked as if the world might possibly be coming to an end. Considering how exciting their lives tended to be, she would not put it past them if it was. Somehow, if the world was coming to an end, she had a feeling Nao had something to do with it.

"We have a missing person situation," Mai reported.

"I know. I've been trying to track Natsuki," Youko replied, not bothering to add that she had not made any progress beyond finding her GEM.

"Not Natsuki. Shizuru is gone now. We got a tiny lead on what might have happened and Shizuru took off for the desert. Can you keep an eye on her? Just in case she does something else silly, like if she faints out there in the desert or forgets to come back?" Mai requested with a small smile.

"I can do that," Youko stated, turning to her computer and putting in the data to keep up with the Graceful Amethyst. "So, Shizuru just ran off after it looked like you might know where Natsuki is?" she asked curiously.

"Not exactly. We didn't even have a might," Mai answered with a depressed sigh.

"I just knew that these tracks were toward a road and Shizuru took off," Mikoto added, shrugging a bit. She could sort of understand Shizuru's impulse. If Mai was in Natsuki's place, she would have ran off without any real clue as to where she was going.

"Um…Youko-sensei…are Natsuki and the baby going to be all right without that medication Shizuru mentioned Natsuki was supposed to take?" Kenta inquired, rubbing his hands together for lack of anything better to do.

Youko was quiet for a moment and kept her eyes on her computer rather than turning to the group. "Natsuki is very strong. She'll do everything in her power to make sure and the baby are all right." At least she knew that much to be true.

"How long does the baby have without the medication?" Kenta continued.

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Natsuki's body seemed more than willing to protect the baby, though. If I were going off of just the data, I would think that the baby has a little more than a week or so before the nanomachines build themselves back up enough to start acting what they will think is a foreign body in their host. Since they probably won't be at full strength, it might take a few days before they do any real damage to the baby, but if Natsuki stays out for about two weeks…" Youko trailed off, leaving the rest to their imaginations. The grim looks on their faces let her know that they got the message.

"Is there anything we can do? Have you had any luck tracking Natsuki?" Mai begged to know.

Youko shook her head. "I've been trying, but it's not bearing any fruit right now. First off, it's not a tried or true method of tracking, trying to find an Otome by her nanomachines. But, Natsuki's current biology makes it almost impossible. The nanomachine activity is so low in her system that I probably wouldn't be able to pick her up on the computer if she was down by the front gate. Someone got really lucky here."

Mai nodded in agreement while Kenta and Nao glared at Sakura. Mikoto sniffled a bit, which got Mai's attention. The motherly redhead patted Mikoto on the head, hoping that it would lift her spirits. Mikoto cuddled into Mai, feeling a new kind of sadness for their friends.

"Thank you, Youko-sensei. Please, keep an eye on Shizuru and contact us if anything seems out of the ordinary," Mai said and she gave a respectful bow to the scientist.

Youko nodded and forced out a smile, hoping to ease the nerves of her visitors, as well s her own. There was no such luck, though. Mai and the others left, not feeling very reassured. Their eyes turned toward the sky, wondering if Shizuru had any luck with her search.

"They're going to be all right, right?" Kenta inquired, heavy bags already underneath his eyes due to concern and grief.

"Hey, if anyone can find that pup, it'll be Shizuru. She's got radar when it comes to Natsuki," Nao assured him, taking his hand in hers and giving it a tight squeeze.

"She's right. Shizuru will do everything in her power to get Natsuki and their daughter back," Mai added in. Of course, _everything_ could end up being a bad thing, but there was no need to tell Kenta that.

Kenta nodded. "I hope so." A small smile crept onto his face. "I'm looking forward to having a niece. My family has a lot of boys in it, so whenever a girl shows up, we all kinda go nuts over her."

"And yet you call Natsuki your brother," Nao pointed out.

Kenta laughed. "Nat-kun is a special case. But, one of the reasons we're all so enthralled with her is because she's a girl…and, well, the youngest. She ended up with the brother title because she was always with us and quick to do anything that we did. She didn't act like we were told a sister was supposed to act, but we still adore her." Grey eyes then cut to his wife. "And anybody that dares to harm that sister needs to start praying," he warned her.

Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes. "I did not do anything to your precious, Nat-kun. Knowing her, she probably has plenty of enemies."

"Yes, some even related to her through marriage," the prince countered.

Sakura wanted to say something back, but her mind caught her tongue. She supposed that now would not be the proper time to antagonize her husband. She needed to get him to leave as soon as possible, especially if something had happened to Natsuki. She hoped like hell that Tomoe was not as stupid as she seemed to be. Who just kidnapped one of the most recognizable and powerful people on the planet? She had to figure out a way to distance herself from this mess, but until that happened she was going to deny all involvement no matter what. She knew the second she admitted to anything the Krugers or that Shizuru bitch would draw and quarter her…if she was lucky.

* * *

Shizuru was not sure what she was doing or where she was going. There was nothing but barren desert below her, sand dunes and rocks stretching as far as her eye could see. There was no sign of her dear Natsuki. There were no signs of life so far, aside from the usual wildlife.

The panic and anxiety had built up so far that she could not even cry from all of the emotions that she was feeling. All she could do was scan, search, scour the hot, dry wasteland for her beloved. It got to the point where soaring for a bird's eye view was not enough.

Shizuru practically dive-bombed a sand dune and started digging for Natsuki. All she could think about was her darling wife and their precious daughter in trouble, needing her, and she was not there. She needed to find them. She had to find them.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru screamed, praying for an answer as she continued to fling sand behind her. "Natsuki!"

The howling wind was her only response, but that did not stop her from crying out and digging for her family. When that dune yielded no results, Shizuru simply moved onto the next hill. Quickly, she was panting and sweating. Not caring about those things, though, she kept searching for Natsuki and hollered at the top of her lungs for her wife.

"Please, beloved, you can't do this to me! We've got a baby on the way and we're about to start our lives together away from being Otomes soon! We have so much time ahead of ourselves! We have to raise our family and send our daughters to school! See our daughters get married and have babies of their own! We need to travel the world together! Swim in tropical waters together! Declare our love from the mountain tops as we renew our vows! Celebrate our twentieth, fifth, and hundredth anniversaries together! So, please!" Shizuru shrieked in desperation.

Of course, her cries were not answered. She lost all track of time and did not take notice of anything around her, unless it was something that she could search for her spouse. The sun beamed down on her, but it was gone before it could do any real damage. The chill of the desert night did not register to her mind. Nor did the fact that her fingers and palms were bleeding from her digging and moving anything that seemed like it might hold her beloved, including plenty of jagged rocks.

Eventually, Shizuru's body could not take the abuse anymore. She fell out, smashing into the rocks that she was trying to remove to see if her beloved might be inside some cavern. Her sweat and tears had long dried up and clung to her skin, making the bitter cold cut through her even more, but she did not feel it. All she felt was the gapping hole from Natsuki's absence and gut-wrenching pain from the possibility that her spouse and child were in trouble and she could not do anything about it.

"Poor, Shizuru-chan…" a voice whispered as familiar arms wrapped themselves around the fallen Otome.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru begged, her voice hoarse and it clawed its way out of her throat.

"Sorry, Shizuru-chan, but no. It's just plain old, Anh-onee-sama," the princess informed her former charge, offering a small, sad smile that Shizuru could not even make out. The world was a blur to her crimson eyes.

"Anh…onee…Natsuki…" Shizuru lost consciousness after that incoherent mumble. Her forehead thumped against the rocks.

Anh sighed and shook her head as she gathered Shizuru into her arms. Securing Shizuru's unconscious form in her arms, Anh took off back toward Garderobe. Shizuru's Robe had to be deactivated by computer when they arrived at the school and she carried the younger woman to her bed. She went so far as to tuck Shizuru in and kiss the strawberry mark on her forehead that was caused when she collapsed into the rocks.

"You shouldn't have waited so long to call me," Anh commented, speaking to Mai, Nao, Kenta, and Mikoto. Sakura was still present, but she had been left to sit by herself in the living room while the others stood around in the hall of the principal's suite.

"Natsuki only went missing this afternoon," Mai replied.

"It doesn't matter. You know how Shizuru's going to be if she doesn't know where Natsuki is. Added to that, Natsuki's six months pregnant. We might as well just put Shizuru in a straitjacket until the end of this," Anh declared and she was dead serious.

"You make a point," Mai conceded that.

"Now, the real issue is who would want to take Natsuki?" Anh wondered aloud. They all wondered the same thing. Being involved in politics as she was, they knew that Natsuki had made enemies in life, but none of them seemed likely suspects in this case. It seemed so random.

"Why do you keep entertaining the idea that someone cares enough to take Natsuki?" Sakura chimed in. She hated that they all immediately knew that Natsuki would not just disappear herself. Most people would just concede—if only for a little while—that an adult woman decided that she needed sometime off. It did not help that Natsuki was actually pregnant. She kept thinking about how badly this could end for her if they found Natsuki and the foolish Otome remembered what happened.

"Who the hell is that?" Anh inquired, arching an eyebrow as she turned to study the other woman. When she first showed up, she did not pay Sakura any mind. She wanted to know more about the situation with Natsuki missing and Shizuru taking it hard. Now, Sakura was starting to get on her nerves, though, and she just wanted to make sure she was not someone important because Anh thought that she might have to lay her hands on the annoying woman.

"My wife," Kenta grumbled.

Anh sighed and shook her head. "I pity you, Kenta-san." She then turned to Nao. "I pity you even more," she commented.

Nao scoffed and rolled her eyes. Considering the circumstances, it had been a bit hard for her to hide any affection that she had for Kenta. She was the one that held him or touched him whenever the situation got too much for him. Mikoto had not missed that, so there was no chance for Anh to miss it. Anh did not think it was fair that Nao and Kenta obviously had something building and Kenta was married to a shrew that did not care that her pregnant sister-in-law was missing.

"Can we send your wife somewhere?" Anh asked Kenta. She held off telling him that she really just wanted to see how far she could throw the irksome bitch and hope like hell Sakura crashed into a mountain.

"I'd like to, but we need to keep an eye on her. She might have been involved in this stunt," Kenta answered.

Anh frowned. "I already don't like her, but if something happens to my niece, you're going to be a widower," she promised, cutting a glare at Sakura. She considered that she might have to interrogate Sakura later on.

"Honestly, you'll have to pull me off of her if you want that honor," Kenta vowed with a serious nod.

The brunette nodded and then turned her attention away from Sakura back to everyone else. "So, who else did you call beside me?" she asked.

"Well, we called you first because we knew you would be able to deal with Shizuru, who we know is going to totally flip out when she finally wakes back up. After you, we contacted pretty much any of the Otomes that were near by or would give a damn to search for Natsuki. Arika-chan was out in the desert earlier, but she didn't have any luck. The other Columns are going to be here by morning. I think Haruka-san and Yukino-chan should be here by tomorrow too," Mai reported.

"Hopefully we'll find the dog before everyone shows up and we can all get a good laugh off of this," Nao said, folding her arms across her chest.

While they all wished that were the case, they had a feeling that things would not be so simple. This was serious, mostly because Natsuki was pregnant and required a number of medicines daily. Natsuki alone would have been fine, they were sure of that. But, Natsuki, pregnant, no GEM, low on nanomachines anyway, and needing medication—all signs pointed to horrible situation.

"I guess we should all try to get some sleep. We'll start off fresh tomorrow. Youko-sensei might have some ideas on how to track Natsuki and we might be able to trick Shizuru into calling her parents to let them know what's going on," Anh said.

It sounded like a good idea for everyone involved. There were two guestrooms in the apartment. Mai and Mikoto took one room while Anh and Nao decided to try to share the other one. Nao figured the seriousness of the situation would keep Anh from acting like…well, Anh.

"So, we sleep on the couch?" Sakura asked, sneering at her husband for no other reason that she hated everything that was happening right now.

"You can sleep on the floor if you think the couch is so lowly," Kenta snapped, moving to sit on the loveseat. Thankfully, he was short, so he could rest easily on the small sofa.

Sakura frowned. "I'd rather sleep in my bed. Perhaps I'll call your parents and tell them I've found you."

"And perhaps I'll tell that you had something to do with Natsuki's disappearance."

"You know they won't believe you. Your parents think all of you are still children. They'll want proof."

"You were the last person to see Natsuki," Kenta pointed out. Really, he did not give a shit if they believed him or not. He knew that she had something to do with Natsuki's vanishing, even if she denied it every single time they asked her about it.

"That's not proof. That's just misfortune on my part and a coincidence if nothing else. Your parents are going to need something more substantial than that. Besides, even if they brought that flimsy excuse, they can't do much to me without pissing my brother off. Do you really think your father wants to handle an intentional incident while Saxas is still trying to wrap their heads around the princess married another woman?" Sakura countered smugly.

"Considering what you plan to do your brother…"

Sakura looked over at her husband with the widest doe eyes he had ever seen. The look of innocence seemed so misplaced on her that he thought he was looking at a caricature of her. She then rolled her eyes.

"Whatever do I plan on doing to my brother?" she inquired such virtue shining in her eyes. Then she scoffed. "No one would ever believe you. You Krugers really have no clue what jokes everyone sees you as. No one takes you or your brothers or your dyke sister seriously."

Kenta frowned, mostly because he felt like that was the truth. He and his siblings were such mascots to their country, hell to that region of the world. They were like puppies, people thought that they were cute, especially Natsuki. No one really respected them like they did other royals and nobles. He felt disgusted, not sure how they had managed to get to that point.

"You know you can't do anything about it, Kenta. Now, why don't we just go home and you let me turn you into someone that isn't an absolute joke to the entire world?" she suggested. The sooner that they got out of here, the better, she thought.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know Natsuki's safe. I don't give a fuck what the rest of the world thinks. I know you had something to do with this shit, Sakura, and I swear that I won't rest until you fucking pay for what you've done. God help you if my niece dies while Natsuki's missing too," Kenta replied in a dark tone.

Internally, Sakura quivered from fear, but she refused to let him know that. She laughed aloud, downplaying the tremors in her stomach. She then rolled her eyes.

"When you get your own army, you talk to me, Kenta. Until then, stop trying to be bad because you do a piss poor job at it. You should know by now I'm going to get my way, Kenta. So, you might as well go along with it and stop resisting," Sakura replied, trying her best to sound cocky.

The blond nodded. "You go ahead and think that. I'm gonna fuck you up if my niece doesn't make it," he stated and then he turned his back to her, letting her know the case was closed. She was not about to accept that.

"Whatever you want to say to make yourself feel like a big man," Sakura said, scoffing to show that he did not scare her.

Kenta ignored her, knowing that if he let her get to him, then he would just end up beating the shit out of her. He would not care about that either, but he knew that once he started on her, he would not be able to stop. She would not be any good to them if he beat her into a coma. So, he would have to leave Sakura-beating to someone less infuriated by her attitude.

He focused on getting some sleep to start a new search for Natsuki in the morning. The couple stayed awake that night, staring into the darkness, trying to figure out what to do with their problems. They were distracted when Nao entered the living room and immediately went over to Kenta.

"Hey," Nao said as she sat down next to him, by his head on the arm of the couch.

Kenta smiled a bit. "Hey yourself."

"You need to go to sleep," the redhead said, gently running her fingers through his hair.

"Natsuki is going to be fine, right?" he asked quietly.

"Perfectly fine. And she's going to give birth to your beautiful niece in a few months. There's going to be another girl in your family to spoil. Hopefully, she'll have Shizuru's smile, but maybe she'll have those big emerald eyes that shine in only a way that Natsuki can make them," Nao replied.

Kenta smiled and his eyes fluttered close. Emerald eyes were on his mind as he drifted off to sleep. The emerald eyes were not those of his sister, though. They were too light to be hers. His dreams pieced together whose eyes they were. They belonged to the person that was keeping him together during these trying times. _Nao…_

_

* * *

_

Next time: families are notified.


	12. The Cavalry

I don't own any of these characters; Sunrise does.

12: The Calvary

The principal's office was packed with concerned Otome. In fact, many of them suspected now would have been a good time for certain countries to start fighting with each other because there were almost no Otome to keep things in check or balanced. They were all worried about the missing Second Column.

Shizuru was seated at Natsuki's desk, her elbows propped up and her hands covering her scowling mouth. Blood red eyes stared out at nothing. Her ears heard nothing, despite the chatter cluttering up the air. All she could think about was going out and finding her wife and child, but damned Youko had deactivated her GEM after she ran out for the second time to comb the desert. When screaming, begging, and crawling on her hands and knees did not get Youko to authorize her GEM, she gave up for the time being.

Of course, she had attempted to make herself useful in others, namely by questioning Sakura. But, everyone sort of recognized the look in her eyes and knew what type of "questioning" Shizuru would do. She refused to believe that pummeling Sakura would not produce answers, but they had pointed out that Sakura would be pretty useless if she were dead. Shizuru had to concede that, quite aware that the second she touched Sakura, she would slaughter that foolish bitch. So, now all she could do was sit and wait for others to find her family.

"Shizuru-chan, maybe you should call your parents," Anh said, stepping over to the quiet brunette. She put her arm around the younger woman and pressed Shizuru into her side. She was keeping an eye on Shizuru, mostly to make sure she did not run off into the desert again or sneak off to go find a certain princess they were all sure needed her ass beat. So, far, she felt like she was not doing a great job because she could not really comfort Shizuru. Nothing she did seemed to help, even when she made the Third Column her favorite tea.

"And tell them what exactly?" Shizuru snapped, growling at the end of the question and glaring up at her onee-sama. The mere thought of reporting to her family that she lost not only her wife, but her child too was appalling. She suspected they would lose all respect for her…just as she had.

"That you need their love and support to get you through a trying time. Shizuru-chan, you're not saving them in grief and misery by not saying anything. Also, putting it off isn't going to bring Natsuki back to us any sooner," Anh pointed out.

Shizuru roughly ran her hands over her face. "We could find her today. There's no need for them to get worried and rush over here and worry…no need to put them through this…" By "this" she meant the misery and suffering that she was going through and Anh knew that.

"Like you? You need the support to help you get through 'this' and if you don't call them, I will," Anh promised. They were going to need someone around to keep Shizuru distracted and she would do anything to get the Viola family there, especially since they did have a right to know.

Shizuru did not make a noise in response. Leaning on her elbows even more than before, her eyes drifted across the crowded room. They fell upon Kenta, curled up in a corner with Nao. They were speaking to each other in low tones, Nao gently stroking his cheek. They had phoned his parents earlier with Kenta speaking to them as Shizuru was in no mood or mental state to speak with anyone. Kenta was only slightly better, being able to tell his parents hurry to Garderobe because there was a matter with Natsuki. That was enough to get his parents moving, though.

"Hand me the phone," Shizuru requested in a tired tone, shaking her head.

Anh managed a small smile as she did as she was asked. Handing Shizuru the phone, the princess than graciously dialed the number for the Third Column. Shizuru took a deep breath as she waited for an answer.

"Which of my darling daughters is this?" Shizuru's father answered the phone in a gentle hum-like tone. He had long ago considered Natsuki his daughter, but he knew that saying so would get a blush out of her. No such luck since this was Shizuru.

"Otou-san…" Shizuru muttered, sounding tearful already. She had to rub her eye with her palm to keep things together.

"Shizuru-chan, what's wrong?" Count Dante Viola inquired with concern.

"It's…I… Can you come to the school as soon as possible?" she requested in a distressed mumble. She was not sure what else to say. If she saw them in person, she was sure the words would pour out of her. It would be so much easier to do it that way.

"Shizuru—" he was cut off before he could repeat his question.

"Please, Otou-san, just come to the school. Bring Okaa-san and Daphne-chan also, please," Shizuru implored him.

"All right. We'll be there in a couple of hours," he replied gently.

"Thank you so much, Otou-san." Shizuru hung up the phone and had to quickly wipe her eyes, feeling tears trying to fall. She sniffled as Anh rubbed her shoulders.

"Shizuru-chan, I promise you, we will find Natsuki-chan and your daughter will be fine," Anh stated.

All the younger woman could manage was a nod, even though she did not feel very confident. Her dearest one had been missing for a day and a half so far. When she rushed out earlier that morning, as soon as she regained consciousness actually, she had felt so frantic, but sure that she would find her beloved. Hours later, all she had to show for her impulsive behavior were dehydration, sunburn, blistered hands, and a disabled GEM. She had never felt so pathetic and helpless in all her life. It was so bad that before she came to Natsuki's office, she had merely sat on their bed and cried until she thought someone might let her interrogate Sakura. Not being able to have a go at Sakura had really only made Shizuru feel even worse, more pitiful and defenseless than ever before.

Silently, she prayed for her spouse and child. She was not sure how long Takara would survive without Natsuki taking her medicine, but she hoped that Takara had become strong in the past few months. At three months, Takara had survived days with the nanomachines attacking her and Natsuki had been able to keep the nanomachines at bay for days before that. Hopefully, they would be able to do that again until she found them.

"It'll be okay," Anh said, even though she doubted that Shizuru wanted to hear that for the umpteenth time.

Ever since Otome began arriving at the school, they had been promising Shizuru that everything would be all right. Shizuru doubted that they even knew the whole story, so she did not see how they could give their word that everything would be all right. They might have known that Natsuki was missing, but did they know she was pregnant? Did they know Takara would not be able to survive much longer without the drugs? Did they know that Shizuru was ready to rip her hair out and break her hands against every rock in the desert until she found her family?

Shizuru was not even sure who called in all the Otome to the school. Surely if she was in her right frame of mind, she would have easily guess Arika, who was standing in the middle of the room, conversing with Queen Mashiro and Aoi. Arika had been called in with Anh yesterday to help search. Her luck had been worse than Anh's and she was a little depressed over that. She thought that more people would mean a greater chance of success.

"How could someone just take the principal like that? I mean, they'd have to be really strong, right?" Arika inquired, trying to make sense of the whole thing. She had been trying to figure it out since yesterday, but no matter what she thought about it, it just did not make sense!

"We shouldn't think about who right now. We should just focus on getting her back," Aoi replied in a gentle tone.

Arika sniffled a little. "I don't understand who would do this. The principal's never done anything wrong to anybody…"

"It's all right, Arika. We'll find out where she is and who took her," Mashiro assured her, rubbing tender circles to the small of her Otome's back.

"I thought if we called in everyone that could help we'd find her easily, but it hasn't been easy at all!" Arika said, sighing in a moment of defeat. Of course, she would bounce back soon enough; she liked to think positive, after all.

The other Otome would agree with her. Every time more of them filtered in, they expected to have the problem solved within the hour. But, with every hour that passed, Natsuki was still gone. They were starting to feel mocked as group; someone was strong enough to take the principal of their school and one of the strongest active Otome and that someone was able to keep the principal hidden from the rest of them. It was insulting.

"Hey, what's everyone standing around here for?" a demanding voice boomed as the door was shoved open.

All eyes turned to the door and no one was surprised when Haruka Armitage marched across the threshold as if she owned the world. President Yukino Chrysant was by her side. Behind them was Chie Hallard. The ebony-haired Otome easily found Aoi in the crowd and fell to her side within in an instant. Aoi and Chie embraced each other.

"I said what's everyone standing around for!" Haruka demanded to know again. She walked over to the desk and punched it hard with her fist, careful not to break it. This all happened right in front of Shizuru's face and barely rated a reaction from her. Ruby eyes stared at the fist and then traveled slowly up the length of the arm until they came to Haruka's tense expression.

"Haruka-san…" Shizuru muttered, almost as if she did not know who the blond was. She then glanced at Yukino. "President…"

Yukino blinked, not sure when Shizuru had ever been that formal with her. "Shizuru-san, we understand these are trying times and we've come to offer all of our support," she explained in a gentle tone.

"Thank you…" the Third Column whispered.

"We have not come alone, though," Yukino continued.

For a moment, Shizuru was at a total lost as to what the Aries President meant. But, then she recalled who else lived in Aries and who served in the Senate. She was far from surprised by the time Natsuki's older brother Shuichi and his wife Nadia entered the office. She locked eyes with Shuichi, getting lost in emerald depths that reminded her way too much of her lost beloved.

Shizuru rose out of the chair as Shuichi made his way to her, cutting through the crowd like a fish through water. She was not sure what to expect when he got to her, but the hug was definitely a pleasant surprise. She supposed that part of her expected him to be angry with her for losing his sister and his niece, but that did not seem to enter his mind.

"How are you holding up, little sister?" Shuichi asked in a whisper.

Tears began falling from Shizuru's eyes without any permission. She could not stop them either. Shuichi noticed and he just held her tighter. Nadia joined in the embrace. By the time they released her, Kenta and Nao had made their way over to the little group. Shuichi wasted no time hugging his little brother too.

"Maybe you guys should step out for a moment," Anh suggested, thinking the intimate moment did not need about forty eyes watching them.

"Sounds like a good idea," Nadia agreed. She then turned her attention Yukino and Haruka. "We'll find out as much as we can and then inform you," she said. This was mostly said to keep Haruka from trying to follow them out.

"All right," Yukino replied and she put her hand on Haruka's arm, just to make sure her Otome did not go anywhere. After all, Haruka more than likely did not get the subtle command that Nadia just dished out.

Indeed as Shizuru, Shuichi, Kenta, Nadia, and Nao left, Haruka tried to follow them. The hand on her arm stopped her, causing her to turn and stare at Yukino. The president did not bother to explain herself. Oddly enough, while Haruka was trying to go where she was not invited, Nao had actually planned on staying behind. A light tug to her hand from Kenta as he was leaving let her know that staying behind would not be appreciated. They stepped out of the office, but did not go far.

"Okay, so what happened? I know you didn't want to get into things too deeply over the phone, but it's driving me crazy," Shuichi said, looking back between his brother and his sister-in-law. "What's going? Are we any closer to finding Natsuki than when you called me?" he asked, focusing on Shizuru since she was the one that called. They had only spoke briefly, though. Very briefly.

Shizuru shook her head. "We only have reason to believe that she's in the desert, but nothing more than that."

Shuichi frowned, but nodded. "I don't understand. How could this happen? I know that Natsuki is strong and I know it would be damn near impossible to kidnap her, but I figured that even if this did happen, you guys would be able to find her with no problem. I mean, you're Otome for crying out loud! You have the technology, for crying out loud!" He threw his hands up in frustration and glared at no one in particular.

"We're only human, for crying out loud," Nao chimed in, purposely repeating his words right back at him with the hope he would see how annoying they were.

"He doesn't mean anything by it. He's just worried," Nadia explained her husband's behavior. She grabbed his hand and pulled herself close to him. She then rubbed his abdomen with the hope that it would calm him down. She did feel some tension ease out of his body, but he was still tightly wound, which she thought was understandable.

"It's all right, Shuichi-san. The other problem that we didn't discuss over the phone is that Natsuki…" Shizuru paused and took a deep breath. Still unable to find her voice, she wrapped her arms around herself as if to hold herself together. "Natsuki is pregnant…"

Shuichi and Nadia reacted exactly the same with wide eyes and jumping back ever so slightly. It was like they knew what she meant, but also had no clue what she meant. It made no sense to them for a while. After a few of seconds, the couple was able to fix their expressions.

"By pregnant do you mean…?" Nadia inquired. Shuichi was thoroughly speechless for now and was quite glad that his wife's mouth worked.

"Natsuki is over six months pregnant with our child. Making matters worse, she needs to take medicine to keep her nanomachines low, so they won't attack the baby. Every time she misses a dose, there's a chance that the nanomachines will get into her womb and destroy our child," Shizuru stated, trying to get out as much as she could without breaking down.

"Oh my god," Nadia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth more to keep it attached to her face than anything else. She then had to lean into her husband to make sure she stayed on her feet.

"The doctor says that Natsuki has about two weeks, give or take a few days, before the nanomachines become a problem," Kenta chimed in, hoping that would ease some of the shock. Judging from Nadia's and Shuichi's expressions, those words had offered little comfort.

"Why didn't you guys say something earlier? We should've been celebrating a baby!" Shuichi pointed out with a huff. His emotions were all over the place now, getting bad news, good news, followed by more bad news. His head felt ready to fly off.

Shizuru shook her head. "It's a long story. One I really don't feel like telling at the moment. The point is that if we don't find Natsuki soon, she will lose the baby."

"We've got to do something!" Shuichi declared.

"We're doing all we can right now," Nao pointed out. She guessed it was Kruger family trait to state the obvious and also get very excitable over things.

"Obviously that's not enough! Surely there's some clue to where Natsuki is!" the eldest Kruger brother said, throwing his hands out to the side as if that would help.

"We think that Sakura might have had something to do with it," Kenta offered. Of course, she was not talking and most people figured that torturing her would not get them anywhere. Now, he and Shizuru did not agree with that, but their votes did not count.

"Sakura?" Shuichi's eyes hardened and he was about to march off back into the office to wring her neck for information. Nadia intertwined their limbs to keep him for moving. He turned to glare down at her.

"I'm sure they've already tried to get information out of Sakura. I doubt she's talking," Nadia pointed out.

Kenta rolled his eyes. "We've tried a bunch of times with different people. She's denying everything, no matter what we do, say, or evidence we put forth. She claims that it's just a coincidence that she was the last person to see Natsuki before she vanished. Shizuru has people investigating that, trying to figure out her movements. Queen Mashiro has also lent a hand in that area. It's a slow process," he reminded his brother. "And they're refusing to torture her for the information. Something about it being illegal," he added, rolling his eyes. Honestly, he did not give a damn about what was legal at the moment.

Shuichi took a deep breath and nodded. "Do we have anything going for immediate action?"

"Youko-sensei is working on handle-held devices that would be able to detect nanomachines and we're going to use them to comb the desert. It might take a couple of days, though. Until then, we're just spinning our wheels," Shizuru answered, running a shaky hand through her tawny mane.

"Don't worry, sweetie. You know that Natsuki is tough as nails and she's not going to let anything happen to your baby," Nadia assured her sister-in-law as she reached over to caress Shizuru's shoulder.

The contact actually helped Shizuru. It was in that moment that she realized how right Anh was about her calling her family. She needed the support, love, and assurance. She was almost ready to whimper that she wanted her mommy and daddy; and she did not even call her parents those titles.

"Yeah, Natsuki is tough…" Shizuru stated, forcing out a smile.

* * *

Ebony hair clouded Natsuki's eyes as she leaned back in a chair Tomoe had forced her to sit in. The chair had a few short nails poking out in strategic places, but Natsuki barely felt them anymore. Her hair was sticking to her face thanks to lots of blood and sweat making her skin damp. A rag was brought to her face, wiping away all of the fluids. A cup was then put to her lips and she drank whatever was in the couple.

"How are you doing, principal? You're still with me, right?" Tomoe asked as if she cared.

Natsuki forced out a laugh. "Oh, you mean you did something to me that should bother me?" she asked. She knew that it would be easier to get through all of this if she just complied fully with Tomoe, but something inside of her would not let her do such a thing. The natural rebel in her just kept popping up, especially when Tomoe really let her have it.

Tomoe growled. Retracting the rag that she was using to clean Natsuki, she backhanded the stubborn Second Column. Natsuki's head snapped to the side and she grunted from the impact. It took her a moment, but she was able to lift her head up and look Tomoe in her eye.

"It's good that you're not broken yet. I have so much that I want to do with you. First, let's take care of all of those cuts and things," Tomoe declared with a smile. "I've been working on all sorts of healing balms. Most I'm sure will sting, but you can probably take it."

Sting was not an accurate description of what it felt like to have Tomoe's "home remedies" on her wounds. Natsuki screamed each time Tomoe applied the gooey balm to her open cuts. Her wounds felt like they were being covered in lava and the red marks that the balm left behind made it look like Natsuki had been burned. By the end of this treatment, Natsuki was sweating buckets and panting as if she had just run a marathon. She only remained conscious through sheer force of will.

"You are a tough one, aren't you, principal? I'm amazed at your staying power with the way you were screaming. I think it would do us well if we fed you to make sure little Takara gets the nutrition that she needs," Tomoe commented.

Natsuki growled, hating to hear her daughter's name on this woman's lips. "For someone that claimed Takara was a weak name, you seem to like using it a lot."

"Oh, it is weak, but if Shizuru-onee-sama thinks it's good enough for our daughter, I will bear it for her," Tomoe replied.

Natsuki rolled her eyes. Part of her could only wonder why the hell Tomoe practically worshipped the ground Shizuru walked on. Yes, Natsuki loved her wife dearly, but she knew that Shizuru was a flawed human being, not some perfect love goddess that Tomoe seemed to think she was. _How fucking crazy is this woman?_ It was not the first time that she wondered that and she doubt it would be the last.

Natsuki's hands were released before Tomoe handed her a bowl of stew. Her legs were still secure, so there was no chance of her getting away, even if she managed to hurt Tomoe. She did not have any plans to try anything just yet. She wanted to see what was at her disposal. After she knew what she was working with, she would figure a way out. She also did not want to tip her hand too soon and let Tomoe know that she was plotting an escape.

Besides, Tomoe was the type of person to get full of herself, Natsuki knew. Sooner or later, Tomoe was going to get comfortable and complacent, feeling like she had the principal under total control. It was then that Natsuki knew she would be able to get away from Tomoe because it was then that Tomoe would start to make mistakes.

So, until then, Natsuki ate her stew and drank whatever it was that Tomoe was giving her. She willed herself to stay strong and mentally she spoke to the baby. She assured the baby that her mothers were both doing everything in their power to keep her alive. Natsuki was sure that somewhere Shizuru was doing everything possible to get her back safe and sound.

_Please, Shizuru, be all right_, Natsuki prayed. She could only imagine what her spouse was going through with her missing and not knowing what was happening. It did not help matters that they had had that scare with the baby earlier and now she was without medication. She was willing to bet that Shizuru was running in circles and barking on anything that moved.

"So, principal, now that we've had lunch, how about we move onto the next activity?" Tomoe suggested, breaking Natsuki's thoughts. The older woman had been so deep in thought that she did not even notice that she ate all of her food.

"Unless they involve you letting me go and my having a hot bath, I could give a shit less," Natsuki replied.

Tomoe growled. "Still so defiant, principal," she stated, glowering down on Natsuki. When the ebony-haired Otome showed no signs of fear, Tomoe snarled again as she sharply turned away. "Maybe a few more cracks from my whip will make you care."

Natsuki remained silent. She did not have that much energy and decided not to waste it struggling. Tomoe strung her up again just like before and started whipping her. Her back was also ready cut and worn from the earlier beating. Making matters worse was the burn from the balm that Tomoe had applied to her wounds. With each pop of the whip, Natsuki hissed and her hands grabbed at the air, trying to somehow escape the pain. Tears eased down her face, but she did not cry out. Her pride would not let her cry out.

"Don't worry, principal, I will break you. I will make you unfit for Shizuru-onee-sama and then I will take her and our baby. She will be happy with me. She will forget you. You're nothing. You're nobody," Tomoe stated as she flogged Natsuki. She repeated those words over and over, but Natsuki was not listening.

Natsuki occupied her mind with thoughts of home. Shizuru's warm embrace, a soothing bath, and a good night's sleep. She imagined how things would be when their daughter was born. She pictured them finding a house to settle down in. They would have more kids. Maybe they would get a dog. Over the holidays, they would have their families come over. Dante and Daphne would tease her, make her blush, and Shizuru would scold them. Shuichi, Nadia, and their two boys, who would just adore their little girl cousins and marvel over them. Kenta and Nao could hang out by the pool…

* * *

Anh took Shizuru back to the principal's suite to get her away from the awful din coming from all of the other Otome and their "theories." The Kruger brothers, Nadia, and Nao went along. To keep Haruka occupied, she was charged with guarding Sakura. Basically, they told Haruka that Sakura was a suspect, knowing that Haruka would now make Sakura's life Hell. Haruka took to it almost as if she knew she should Sakura suffer in every way possible. They all hoped that someone Haruka got Sakura to talk about her part in Natsuki's disappearance.

"I'll be back when your family comes," Anh told Shizuru, easing the stressed younger woman down into an armchair.

"They know how to get here," Shizuru answered in a tired voice. She threw her head back as soon as she was secure in the chair.

"I know they do, but I want to escort them," Anh replied. She wanted to check on her former charge. She then turned her attention to the others. "Please, keep a good eye on her. She's an escape artist."

Kenta and Nao nodded, knowing just what Anh was talking about. The princess glanced at her broken friend one last time before taking her leave. The others sat down; one couple of the couch and the other on the loveseat. Silence reigned over the living room for a few minutes.

"Do Mom and Dad know that Natsuki's pregnant?" Shuichi asked curiously.

Kenta shook his head. "No, they don't. I suspect Shizuru will tell them when they arrive."

Shuichi frowned, but he nodded to show that he understood. He glanced over at Shizuru. She was not looking at him, did not seem to be paying him any mind, yet as soon as his eyes fell up on her, she said something to him. He almost jumped from the surprise, but held that in.

"Shuichi-san, are you upset with me and Natsuki for not telling anyone about Takara?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Takara?" the eldest Kruger echoed.

"The baby. Are you upset that we didn't tell you or anyone about the baby?" Shizuru inquired.

"Shizuru, we really don't need to get into that now," Shuichi replied. He knew that this was hardly the time to express anger in being left out of his little sister's life, but for some reason he could not stop himself. Maybe it was the stress of having so much shit hit him in so little time in regards to his baby sister. "But, yeah, I am pissed. Did you talk her into keeping this from us? I bet your family knows," he snapped.

Shizuru chuckled; it was a hollow sound that hurt her chest. "This was Natsuki's idea as much as mine. Neither of our families knew. We didn't say anything because there was always a high chance that Takara wasn't going to make it. When Natsuki was three months along, the nanomachines had gotten to Takara. They made Natsuki very sick and almost killed the baby. We didn't want to put everyone through that. Natsuki wanted to wait until she was showing enough for people to just know. So, to answer your accusation, no, I didn't talk her into keeping that from you."

"Shuichi," Nadia scolded him, slapping at his shoulder rather roughly. "I know you're on edge, but you don't take it out on Shizuru. You probably can't even fathom how she feels right now. Pregnant spouse missing, possibly kidnapped. Attacking her isn't helping."

Shuichi nodded and put his head down in shame. "You're right," he muttered before turning to face Shizuru again. "I'm sorry, Shizuru. This is just a lot to handle. You know, I lost her and Kenta once when they were younger. I wanted to take them into the city by myself for the first time. I was sixteen, so they were six and seven respectively. They were only gone for a couple of minutes, but in those couple of minutes, I felt like I died a million times. I found them in the park, staring at a balloon vendor. This is nothing like that, though. This is so much worse and I just wish I could walk in a park and find her buying a balloon or something."

"If only it was that easy," Kenta said.

"I know." Shuichi sighed. "Are we sure this is foul play?"

"Natsuki's never gone missing this long, EVER," Shizuru said. "I've checked all of her hang-out spots, three times each on three separate occasions. She would have come back for her medicine. She would have called me because she knows I worry, even more so now that's she's pregnant. And, of course, she is pregnant. She's not going to go out for a good time when she's six months pregnant," she pointed out.

Shuichi nodded. "Any ideas on who took her?"

"We're working on that. We've already got a list of possible suspects. It's not too long and some of the Otome have already volunteered to go check them out. We're waiting for Queen Mashiro's information on Sakura and we're going to compare any names that come up to the suspect list already. If anything matches up, we're going to follow up on that," Kenta explained.

"Sounds like you guys have everything under control," Nadia noted.

"Yes, all except actually finding Natsuki," Shizuru pointed out bitterly.

"That will come in time, Shizuru," Nadia assured the younger woman.

The Third Column did not say anything, just staring at the ceiling. Seconds silently ticked by as the others tried to think of something to say to the distraught woman. They were saved from trying by the door opening and the Viola family rushed in. Dante was the first one to Shizuru, fiercely hugging his eldest daughter before he even knew what the problem was.

"Shizuru-chan, tell us what happened," Dante requested as his wife and their other daughter made their way over. Mother, Shizue, and daughter, Daphne, flanked Shizuru, placing gentle hands on her shoulders.

The dam broke and Shizuru's body shook as she started to sob. "Natsuki's gone! Somebody took her and our baby!" she wailed, curling up into a tight ball in the chair that she was sitting in. In order to pull that off, she had to push her father away a little bit.

The Viola family was not sure what to say. It was bad enough that Shizuru was crying and they could hardly recall the last time such a thing occurred. Added to their confusion was the mention of a baby. Instead of asking questions, they all just remained by Shizuru's side and figured that she would be able to explain it all in due time. Right now, she obviously just needed a shoulder or three to cry on.

* * *

Next time: more Natsuki torture (literally) and the rest of her family shows up.


	13. Poison

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does. I also don't own the phrase "I think, therefore I am." That one goes to Renee Descartes.

13: Poison

The world consisted of total darkness and Natsuki actually had to fall back on some very old philosophy just to prove to herself that she still existed. _I think, therefore I am_. Well, that narrowed down some things for her; at least she knew that she existed. But, it did not clear up the matter of whether she was dead or alive. Her eyelids were way too heavy for her to get a look at her surroundings to help her figure it out. In her ears, all she heard was the pounding of her own heart. No smell could make it to her nose and she was not sure why.

After an undetermined amount of time went by, Natsuki could feel her bonds against her wrists, biceps, ankles, and knees, so she was pretty sure that she was still a captive of Tomoe. That or Hell existed, she had gone there, and they had just recreated her last moments on Earl. _This would be one hell of a way to spend eternity_.

Still unable to open her eyes or move, Natsuki wondered if her smart-ass thoughts were a sign of her coherency or a sign of her finally going off of the deep end. She could not decide on that. Instead, she gave herself a pep talk until she finally could open her eyes.

The same rocks stared at her from before from the cave that she was trapped in. Her ears were not picking up anything other than her heartbeat still, but she felt pretty good about her eyes working. She scanned the area as best she could when she was strapped to a table. Everything was blurry, but she figured that she would be able to make out things enough to know what they were. She wanted to find out where Tomoe was to make sure that sick bitch could not do anything else to her.

From the corner of her eye, she could make out a blur that she knew was Tomoe. She could not make out what Tomoe was doing, but she had learned that corner held a table. On that table, there were all sorts of "medicines" that Tomoe had and was now having fun testing out on Natsuki. Whatever the hell was the last thing she used, it caused Natsuki to black out for who-knew-how-long. Items before that had caused nausea, muscle spasms, cramps, all sorts of burning sensations in every place imaginable, throbbing aches everywhere on her body, bleeding from unusual areas—including her eyes, and a number of other ailments that Tomoe had noted as "interesting."

Of course, Natsuki begged to differ. She had tried to stop Tomoe by pointing out how dangerous those things could be for Takara, but Tomoe brushed it off. She had proclaimed that any child of hers and Shizuru's would not be harmed by Natsuki's punishment. Natsuki was not sure what "science," "reasoning," or basis went behind that, but Tomoe felt it was true and continued on with her torment.

Natsuki lost count of how long she had been trapped with Tomoe. Not being able to see the sky, she did not know if it was day or night or anything. After having passed out a few times thanks to Tomoe's experiments, any sense of time that she might have had was gone now because she never knew how long she was out for. She wanted to think that she had not been there too long, figuring that if it had been days, then Shizuru would have found her by now.

"Awake are we, principal?" Tomoe inquired, moving into Natsuki's line of sight for her to see the demented smile on the younger woman's face.

Natsuki glared at her tormentor more from habit than anything else. She could not hear the question; the only reason she knew Tomoe was talking to her was because she could see the movement in her face. Tomoe frowned when she did not get a response from her captive.

"No smart-aleck remarks, principal? No jokes for me?" Tomoe asked, standing close to Natsuki.

The ebony-haired woman could tell that Tomoe was speaking to her again because she could tell that Tomoe's face was moving. Her voice sounded like a garbled noise and Natsuki's hearing did not clear up to make out anything that she said. She noticed Tomoe moving and felt something on her arm. Involuntarily, Natsuki flinched and Tomoe chuckled.

"Yes, you should be afraid, principal. Very afraid," Tomoe said, teasingly caressing the injured woman's cheek for a brief moment that seemed like a very disgusting eternity to Natsuki. "Now, I suppose we can take a break from testing and teaching you. I think Takara could use some food." Tomoe rubbed Natsuki's large stomach. "That's my hungry, hungry baby," she added in a coo.

Natsuki did not say anything, which Tomoe took as a sign of fear and acceptance. That thought caused her to smile in victory. She walked off, going to cook some food for them. When the food arrived, Natsuki could not open her mouth enough to eat anything. Tomoe let loose a sinister laugh before forcing the food into the principal. The force-feeding made Natsuki choke and then throw up.

"You ungrateful bitch! You dare try to starve my baby!" Tomoe slapped Natsuki hard across the face. "You will eat, even if I have to force all of this down your damn throat! Now eat this damned food!" She pressed more food to Natsuki's mouth.

Natsuki did not have much of a choice in the matter as more food was shoved into her mouth. She tried her best to eat it and keep it down because the baby did need the nourishment. Hell, she needed the nourishment. Her body was being worn down, while her nanomachines were building up. Healing was getting easier, but it was still taking a lot out of her to go through daily and constant abuse.

She threw up once more, but after that, she was able to eat whatever it was that Tomoe was feeding her. Her tongue was not working, so she could not make out what it was that she was eating, but it did not matter. After she finished with the food, Tomoe let her have something to drink. After that, as punishment, she was left to settle in her own vomit while Tomoe walked out of her sight range.

Natsuki gathered her wits about her as best she could, trying to piece together what was happening now. However long she had been there, she noticed that Tomoe started working up some routines. Of course it was hard to notice the routines since she did not have a sense of time, but Tomoe always fed her and allotted her plenty of water after certain torture sessions.

She also noticed that Tomoe was comfortable with leaving her alone for a few minutes every now and then. Tomoe even took naps where she could see the green-haired woman, which she thought she could use to her advantage. Mostly, she noticed that Tomoe was very concerned with keeping the baby alive…as best she could figure out how anyway. Useful information, she was sure. She just had to figure out what to do with all of it.

_I know I can get out of here. I have to get out of here. I have to do it for Shizuru, for our daughter_… Natsuki could not even think of the child as "Takara" anymore because the way her skin crawled whenever Tomoe said the same. She had to escape before Tomoe ruined anything else about her daughter for her. _Don't worry, baby. I'm not going to let this nut-job do anything else to you. You just hold on for me and for Shizuru. Please, just hold on_.

* * *

Shizuru was sitting underneath a tree in one of the many fields on the Garderobe campus. She was wrapped in the warm, loving arms of her mother, being embraced like she recalled being held as a little girl. She accepted it and leaned back against one of the strongest women she had the pleasure of knowing. Two sets of red eyes gazed out down by the gate, watching as Youko briefed the Otome on things.

Youko had finally come up with a handheld tracking device for the Otome to use and search for Natsuki. It was supposed to pick up on the faint electronic pulses from the nanomachines…in theory anyway. She believed that the devices should be able to pick up on Natsuki's building levels of nanomachines. She had been missing for four days now. The nanomachines should have built up enough to be found…or so Youko hoped.

The scientist quickly had to go through how to use the devices for the league of Otome that were eager to find the missing headmistress; hell, even Miss Maria was lined up to do whatever she could. Many students had volunteered too, but right now there were not enough devices to go around. Instead, the students could each assist one of the Meisters if she allowed it. Kenta was involved with the crowd, planning to go out with Nao upon her offering.

Shizuru was just there to look on; Youko did not think that she was ready to go out yet. Her GEM was still inactive and she doubted that it was going to be activated while the investigation was going on. Instead, she just let her mother hold her and draw as much comfort as she could from that.

"They'll find Natsuki," Shizue whispered to her daughter, caressing the side of her distressed child's face.

"I know," Shizuru replied flatly.

"We'll find out exactly what's going on," Shizue promised.

"I know." Shizuru sighed. "Natsuki's parents and brothers are going to arrive today. I'm a bit nervous," she admitted. In her gut, she knew this meeting was going to go poorly.

"It'll be all right. Your father, your sister, and I will be by your side when you face them. We'll help them understand that we're all in this together and that we're there for them just like we're there for you. Why did it take them so long to get here?" Shizue asked curiously.

"There is only one airport in Saxas and it was under repairs. They had to take a ship. Also because neither I nor Kenta went into very much detail as to what happened, they don't know exactly what's wrong. I feel as if lied to them…"

"You didn't. You were just in shock when it all happened and when you made the call, I'm sure. After all, you didn't tell us exactly what was happening either. We could've gotten here sooner than we did, but we didn't know exactly what was going on and didn't hurry as much as we should have," Shizue pointed out.

Shizuru shook her head. "I should have told you all sooner. I just thought I would be able to fix all of this. I am Natsuki's wife. I should be able to protect her and our unborn child. Takara should be able to depend on me," she stated, tears welling up in her eyes.

Shizue made a cooing noise and held her daughter tighter. "She can. Just like Natsuki can. I'm sure Natsuki is thinking of you and drawing strength from you as we speak. Sometimes, you can't do things on your own. You have people around you that love you and are willing to help. Use their strength and love, draw from them as Natsuki draws from you."

The tawny-haired Otome nodded. "When did you get so wise, Okaa-san?"

Shizue laughed. "I have always been this wise, but you, your sister, and your father all rather rely on your own odd faculties than listen to your poor Okaa-san." She then sighed dramatically.

Shizuru rolled her eyes, but did not say anything smart as she usually would. She turned her attention back to the Otome as Youko started handing out what looked like handheld video games. The Meisters each took charge of one device and many of them took students with them to act as an extra pair of eyes. Nao donned her Robe and flew off with Kenta on her back. The sight was so comical that Shizuru almost laughed. Her little sister, Daphne, also piggy-backed a ride with Anh. Chie was glad to hold onto Shuichi while Haruka took Nadia. Yukino stayed behind to investigate on the ground and find out more information on what happened.

Queen Mashiro was still collecting information too. She had not shared anything yet because she was trying to put it all together. So far, nothing seemed to connect to Natsuki aside from the fact that Natsuki was standing between Sakura seeing Kenta. Other than that, Natsuki had no real conflict in her life. Yes, a few diplomats and world leaders were not too fond of her; most of those due to her lifestyle or just the fact that she had the Otome that they wanted. None of those diplomats had had contact with Natsuki lately and many of them had been at odds with the principal for a long time. If they had wanted to do something to her, they would have done it a long time ago.

Slowly, but surely, Mashiro was certain that things would come together. She had hope that she would be able to put her pieces with Yukino's pieces and also whatever Natsuki's other two brothers found. Kenta had told Mashiro that his older brothers Koji and Hiroshi were seeking information on Sakura too.

"Where is Otou-san?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"He went to help Yukino-san. They're all very suspicious of Kenta's wife," Shizue answered.

"Including you?"

Shizue nodded, her short ebony hair swaying slightly. "I am. I've never seen someone so nonchalant over a family crisis. The students were more broken up to find out that the principal was missing than she seems to be and Natsuki is her sister-in-law. She refuses to answer anything about what happened on the last day that she saw Natsuki-chan too. I never would have believed this if I had not seen it. Such spite for a family member. Disgraceful."

"Okaa-san…" Shizuru trailed off, not too sure what she wanted to say.

"Shizuru, why didn't you and Natsuki tell us about the baby?" her mother asked curiously, wanting to change the subject before she worked herself and Shizuru up about Sakura and her silence. She made sure to keep her tone gentle, but she was very curious to know why her daughters did not think to depend on them.

"We thought we were sparing you possible pain. Early on in her pregnancy we had a scare and that kept it fresh in our minds that we could always lose Takara. It hurt so much, just that scare alone. I didn't want you to have to go through that…if we lost your first grandchild. I just…we just…" Shizuru tried her best to explain it, but it felt hollow now, especially while she was sitting in her mother's arms.

"Oh, my sweet little Shizuru, you and Natsuki should know by now that we like to share in everything in your lives, happiness, pain, anxiety, and love."

"I know now, Okaa-san. We thought we were protecting you."

Shizue nodded. "I understand that. You know I'm the last one to scold you, Shizuru, so I am going to let this go. We cannot change the past, but we should learn from it. The next child, you will tell us about it as soon as you're pregnant," she ordered.

"I will, Okaa-san," Shizuru answered.

"I assure you that you're going to look back on this too and learn from it, but Natsuki and your daughter will be there to look back with you."

Shizuru nodded, feeling right now that anything her mother said was true. She needed to believe that. They sat there quietly for long while and that was where Dante found them when he returned to the school. For a moment, he stood away from them, just watching them, watching Shizue hold Shizuru. When he made it over to them, he wordlessly joined in the embrace.

"Anything, Otou-san?" Shizuru asked in a whisper.

"Are you kidding? People haven't been talking about anything else since the Queen started making inquiries. Natsuki's sister-in-law seems to have her hand in a mighty big cookie jar. Speaking to Queen Mashiro earlier, I did find out that Sakura had been looking for someone that knew Garderobe's campus well. I've gotten into contact with a few people that she spoke with for that. But, I think the Queen will have that answer for us by the time she returns," Dante answered.

Shizuru nodded, but before she could ask any more questions, a student approached the family. The student informed Shizuru that the Kruger family was at the gate. Shizuru tensed for a moment and took a deep breath to relax herself. She then told the student to direct them to the principal's apartment, where she would meet them. The student nodded and ran off.

"Well, time to face to music, huh, Okaa-san?" Shizuru said in a low voice.

"We'll be with you, Shizuru. You know you have our support," Shizue replied, giving her daughter a little squeeze.

The Otome nodded as she rose to her feet. Her parents did the same and they all marched to Shizuru's apartment to meet the Krugers. They were barely settled into the living room when there was a loud knock on the door. Shizuru marched to the door and opened it to see her in-laws standing before her.

"Please, come in," Shizuru said, bowing a little and motioning into the apartment with an elegant sweep of her hand.

King Ryo and Queen Saeko of the remote island country of Saxas entered the apartment. Their other three sons—Koji, Hiroshi, and Hayate, who also had their wives by their sides, trailed the royal couple. Ryo, Saeko, and the wives looked around the apartment, disgust and disappointment written all over their faces despite the fact that the suite was huge and top-of-the-line. It was even professionally decorated, so Shizuru figured her guests were hating just to hate. Or maybe they were disgusted by the fact that there was not a legion of servants there to wait on them as there was in the palace at Saxas. Or, of course, they felt like they might catch lesbian germs from being in Natsuki and Shizuru's den of debauchery.

"This way to the living room," Shizuru said, walking off to show them the way, not that it was hard to find. The Kruger family took seats on the sofas since Dante and Shizue already occupied the loveseat.

The Krugers glanced at the Violas and then looked at each other. They suspected that something was serious if they were there and Shizuru's family was there. At first, they thought the phone call that they received days ago from Kenta was about him, even though he claimed it was about Natsuki. Now, they were clear that he was not just making it up. Something seemed to be up with the "newlyweds."

"King Ryo, Queen Saeko, glad you could make it," Dante greeted them. "How was the journey?" he inquired politely.

"Long and full of incompetence," Ryo answered with a grunt. He had never been involved in so many delays in all of his life. Honestly, there was no reason for it to take so long for them to arrive in Windbloom.

"I take it that's why it took you a few days to come," Dante stated with a nod and his voice full of sympathy that the royal couple ignored.

"Yes, it was. Now, why were we called here?" Saeko inquired. "Kenta made it sound like it was the end of the world, but he refused to go into detail over the phone. So, what is it?" she asked with impatience coloring her voice, speaking to the Third Column.

Shizuru took a deep breath, but found her voice failing her. Her parents walked over to her and stood by her side. Her mother took her hand while her father placed a hand on her shoulder. Shizuru steeled herself before looking at the Kruger family.

"Four days ago, Natsuki went missing," Shizuru announced.

"Missing? What do you mean missing?" Saeko asked, glaring suspiciously at the tawny-haired woman as if Shizuru had something to do with it. Ryo's gaze was also accusing while their sons looked much like Shizuru imagined they would: half bewildered and half incredulous.

"We don't know where she is. After meeting with Sakura four days ago at noon, no one has seen or heard from Natsuki," Shizuru informed them, doing her best to keep her voice and body calm. She really just wanted to fall apart, but with her parents supporting her both literally and figurative, she was able to stay up.

Confusion washed over the Krugers' faces; the wives did not look too affected, but Shizuru expected that. A few moments of silence ticked by. Ryo had to take several deep breaths before he could speak.

"Is that all?" the blond king asked, words shaking as they exited his mouth.

"No, sir. It is not. Natsuki…my precious Natsuki…she's almost seven months pregnant with our child…" Shizuru replied, tears welling up in her eyes as she started to think about her poor Natsuki and their medically dependent child. Silently, she sent out another prayer to them, hoping that it would be enough for now.

"Pregnant?" the Kruger family echoed in disbelief. All of their eyes went wide from that bombshell.

"Natsuki is pregnant and, due to her Otome status, she needs to take medication to protect the baby from the nanomachines in her body. Without the medicine, the nanomachines will attack the baby, thinking she is a foreign body. We've been advised that the baby has about a week before the nanomachines get into Natsuki's womb…" Shizuru said.

"Pregnant? How long…how long have you known…?" Ryo inquired in shock, putting his hand out, but not sure what he wanted to do with it. The others were also stunned to the point of speechlessness.

"We've known since she was a few weeks along. We had been trying for a child for the past eight months…" Shizuru replied, tears sliding down her cheeks. She quickly wiped those away, but fresh ones replaced them.

"And when were you going to tell us?" Koji demanded to know, jumping up from his seat. Hiroshi quickly took a hold of him to keep his arm to keep from letting his temper get the better of him.

"The story is a long and we don't have the time to spare, but Natsuki and I were trying to spare you all any hurt feelings if the baby did not make it and that was always a large possibility, so we waited. She wanted to tell you when she started showing, but then other complications occurred," the Graceful Amethyst replied.

"Kenta," Hiroshi stated, grunting as he spoke.

Shizuru shook her head. "Not just Kenta, but the reason he showed up. And then, of course, Sakura appeared," she pointed out.

"Where is our dear little brother?" Hayate asked curiously, glancing around the apartment.

"Right now, he is out with the other Otome to search for Natsuki," Shizuru answered.

"So, what you're telling us is that not only did you lose my daughter, but your own child as well?" Saeko demanded to know, climbing to her feet now too. Koji moved to hold his mother back, but she swatted him away. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted Natsuki to you!" she roared, pointing a threatening finger at the hurting Otome.

"Now wait a minute!" Shizue hollered, but she did not get far before the queen went off again.

"There is no minute! If Natsuki listened to me—to her family—she would be fine today! She should have married a man who could take care of her! This wouldn't have happened if she had married a man!" Saeko screamed at the top of her lungs, throwing her hands up in a fit.

"Mom," Hiroshi said, hoping to calm the woman down. He glanced over at his father, hoping that he would do something to stop Saeko. Ryo did exactly as his son expected, though. Ryo stood there and let Saeko rip into Shizuru.

"A man would've—" Saeko was swiftly cut off by Shizuru.

"A man would've dominated Natsuki? Is that what you think? Do you think that's what Natsuki needs? You would've matched her with the perfect man, wouldn't you? Just like you've done with your sons?" Shizuru roared. She was pushed to the limit now. Her wife and daughter were missing and she was not going to take any bullshit now.

"A man would've taken care of her!" the queen snapped back, glaring at Shizuru as if she was the worst type of human being.

The look only outraged Shizuru further, pushing her to lose her control and her elegant air. "How so? What the fuck would a man have done that I didn't do? Do you think a man that you would have picked would have made sure that Natsuki stuck to her diet? Do you think a man would have rubbed her sore muscles? Do you think a man you would have picked would have gone to doctor's appointments every week? Rewarded her for good checkups? Handled her emotional flare-ups with patience? Done everything in his power to make sure she was happy and the child was fine? Do you think that?" Shizuru hollered as loudly as she could. She did not give the queen a chance to answer that. "You're in no position to claim you could have picked a better mate for my Natsuki considering the job you've done with your sons!" she hissed.

Saeko stormed over to Shizuru, planning to slap the snot out of her. Shizuru caught the hand with ease and glared at her mother-in-law with intense dislike right now. Saeko's gaze held something close to hatred. Shizuru was so tempted to break her mother-in-law's wrist, just something to vent all of the aggravation that was piling up in her system. But, some small bit of reason remained and she knew that it would wreck any chance she had with her in-laws if she harmed Saeko. But, that did not stop her from trying to inflict some emotional damage as she released the queen.

"Since you're such a great judge of character, I suppose I should let you know that it's highly like Sakura had something to do with Natsuki's disappearance. But, I suppose that couldn't be right since you hand picked her and you know everything and would never bring misery to your children," Shizuru stated.

"Shizuru-chan," Hiroshi pled with his sister-in-law.

"Forgive me. I'm a little on edge today," the Third Column said through gritted teeth. The tension in her face told it better than her words.

"It's understandable, Shizuru-chan," Hayate said, approaching her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned her gaze to him. He smiled at her. "Now, what's this about Sakura? Natsuki asked us to check out her latest movements."

"This is something that you should discuss with Kenta-kun. He knows more about it because she was trying to get him involved. They should be back soon," Shizuru replied.

Hayate nodded. "We'll talk to him. Where is Sakura now?"

"She's being looked after by Youko-sensei. She's a faculty member," Shizuru informed them.

"We do have a few questions to ask her, especially if she did have something to do with Natsuki's disappearance," Koji growled.

"I will take you to her. I have to warn you now that you cannot harm her in any way. Even though the school is technically not a part of any country, we do abide by many international laws," Shizuru informed them. Of course, she had heard that same reminder many times in the past four days. "Apparently, murder is frowned up by a lot of people," she commented and it was hard to know if she was joking or not. But, most of the crowd could understand that.

"Don't worry. We'll kill her when we get back to Saxas. You'd be surprised what a Royal can get away there," Koji remarked, partially serious.

"I can't believe you boys are falling for these lies. It's obvious that this…" Ryo paused and snarled in Shizuru's direction. "…woman is just trying to make herself look less culpable than she is. She needs an excuse because she couldn't take care of Natsuki."

"Continue telling yourself that," Shizue commented and rolled her eyes. "Shizuru, take them. Dante and I will keep Natsuki's parents company."

Shizuru nodded and did as suggested. The brothers followed her, despite the fact that their parents were yelling at them to come back. They noted that their wives were surprisingly quiet. They suspected this thing with Sakura had them spooked, causing the brothers to wonder if their ladies were into anything suspicious too. As soon as they were gone, Shizue glared at Saeko and Ryo.

"You listen to me, I don't give a damn who you are or what country you're in charge of," Shizue stated, pointing at the royal couple. "You'll keep your fucking opinions about my daughter to yourself at the moment. Shizuru's going through a hard time you're not helping by saying that Natsuki would be fine if she married a man. That shit had nothing to do with anything. If you're not going to help and you're just going to point a finger, go the fuck home," she spat before turning and walking away as if all of that was the most natural thing to say.

Dante offered a lop-sided smirk to the royals. Ryo and Saeko were shocked into silence by the language and the venom being spewed their way. Shizue slammed the door on her way out, causing the king and queen to flinch; their daughters-in-law did also.

"I don't know where she gets such a mouth from," Dante remarked with a shrug. "But, I have to say that I agree with her. If you're not going to help, go home. We don't need your type of negativity around right now. Shizuru is worried about her wife and daughter. She doesn't need you adding to her troubles. No one needs you adding to their trouble. We have more than enough at the moment." Dante took his leave on that note.

Ryo and Saeko stood there, unsure what to do. They ignored the presence of their daughters-in-law and instead were consumed by a burning grief rather than the fury they thought that they should have felt. Automatically Ryo wrapped his arms around Saeko.

"They'll find her, won't they?" Saeko inquired, her voice muffled as she buried her head in her husband's chest.

"I'm sure they will," he replied, holding her tightly as she began to weep softly into his body.

* * *

Natsuki was lost in her thoughts as Tomoe pulled up a chair next to her. The younger woman reached out and started stroking Natsuki's large stomach. Tomoe spoke to the baby as if Natsuki did not exist, which was fine by the principal. The baby reeled, letting Natsuki know that she was still alive and this knowledge kept Natsuki's mind working, calculating her escape.

_She's working up routines and letting her guard down little by little. She thinks she has me. Oh, if only it were that simple Tomoe. If only it were that simple_. Natsuki _knew_ that she was going to get out…soon.

* * *

Next time: the great escape attempt.


	14. Breaking point

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

14: Breaking point

The search party for Natsuki returned during the night, feeling demoralized and lost themselves. Gathering in the cafeteria for a warm meal and to compare notes, most of them did not even want to open their mouths. Not for food or reports. Youko took charge of the informal debriefing session, giving everyone a chance to get some food and find a seat before she said anything.

Shizuru found her way there with her parents. They sat down with Anh and Daphne. Nao and Kenta joined them. Haruka, Yukino, Shuichi, and Nadia also sat down. They were joined by the other Kruger brothers; their wives had opted to stay behind, being escorted to the hotel that they would be staying at while they were in Windbloom. Ryo and Saeko sat in the back of the room, deep in the corner.

"So, is there anything to report?" Youko inquired, scanning the room for the brave soul that would basically let Shizuru know that her wife was still missing. After several long moments and many glances at the three Columns that had gone out, Miss Maria stood.

"After combing the desert area as well as the many mountains around, as far as communications show, no parties were able to detect even the slightest bit of nanomachines from the area to indicate that the principal is there," Miss Maria replied in an even tone, saying what everyone else dreaded.

All eyes then fell to Shizuru, waiting for her reaction. No one was totally sure what to expect. Some of the older Meisters knew that Shizuru could lose her temper easily when Natsuki was involved and it was never pretty. They were more than ready to run if necessary. They even began secretly pointing to which Corals or Pearls they would grab on the way out, not wanting to leave any kids behind if Shizuru went on a rampage.

Shizuru was eerily silent, though. Suddenly, tears poured down her cheeks and she let out a guttural cry. Collapsing onto the table, Shizuru bawled into her arms as she rested her head on the limbs. Everyone watching could not believe their eyes. That was the last reaction they expected.

Anh and Daphne wasted no time trying to comfort the distraught Column, rubbing her back and whispering reassuring words to her. Their actions did not seem to be helping as Shizuru continued to wail, as if she was experiencing the worst pain ever. The cafeteria was quiet because no one was sure what to do now.

"We'll have to start expanding the search, even though it seems unlikely that someone would be able to take the principal that far without someone noticing," Youko announced, talking over Shizuru's cries. Everyone tried to focus on the doctor now, but it was difficult with Shizuru going on.

"Yeah, but you have to remember that whoever took the principal has had days to move her," Chie pointed out.

"But, Shizuru was patrolling the area those first twenty-four hours. I have to believe that the person honestly could not get Shizuru's own wife by her," Youko replied.

"But, we're assuming that she did already," Sara Gallagher, the First Column, commented from her seat. She hoped Shizuru was not paying attention because she knew her words were really pouring salt on the wounds.

"We have to assume that since our concentrated search of the desert hasn't yielded results," Youko conceded.

"Do we have any clues aside for who she was last with?" Shuichi inquired, pulling out a notepad in order to jot things down. His brothers did the same thing.

"As far as I know, we do not. Some students saw her walking to the gate with her visitor, one Sakura Kruger. This was not unusual. She'd had done that several times before, so the students didn't think anything of it. They did say that the principal seemed to be acting strangely, but they thought that it might have something to do with her visitor. They said that it was always easy to tell that principal didn't like her guest, so they thought the weird behavior had to do with that," Youko answered.

"What about the house we initially ended up at? Any clues there?" Mai asked.

"My team and I went through that place from top to bottom and we've got piles of things to go through. We're going to need a few more days with it. We pretty much took that whole place apart. Nothing so far seemed to be a lead, but as I said, we have piles of stuff. There could be a clue, but it could be buried in piles of nothing," Youko answered.

"So, in short, we've got nothing?" Nao felt the need to say.

"We are slowly making strides…" Youko wanted it to sound better than it was to keep up morale.

"In circles," Nao added.

There were murmurs after that, grumblings that sounded like disappointed agreements. Youko frowned, trying to think of something to say to quell Nao's negativity. Unfortunately, they had nothing, so she could not say anything.

Arika suddenly cleared her throat and stood up. "I think we need to keep looking instead of moping here about what we didn't find today! The principal is counting on us and we need to keep fighting, just like she would do for us! Whenever there's a crisis she doesn't give up! She comes up with a plan and helps solve the problem! So, now's not the time to feel sorry for ourselves or get down. We need to press forward, just like she would do," she announced with pride and then sat back down. Mutters of agreement bounced around the room after that.

"Calm down, Arika. No one's talking about giving up so soon. There's too much at stake for that," Sara assured the Windbloom Otome. She did breathe a sigh of relief to see that Arika was able to get the crew back before they did let the negativity consume them, though.

Now there were a round of nods. By this point, everyone knew about the principal's condition. Most of them also knew that it was highly likely that Natsuki would lose the baby if they did not find her soon. None of them wanted things to come to that. The only problem was that they all feared that Natsuki's nanomachines would only show up on their devices after they built up to a level where they would attack the baby. They needed clues to get to her before that.

"The whole point is that we're open to suggestions. Checking out any of Natsuki's enemies, they weren't around here in order to abduct her. After running checks, we know their whereabouts on the day in question too. So, really, if anyone has any ideas, let 'em fly," Youko said with a sigh. As far as they knew, anyone that might have a grudge against Natsuki had alibis for the time of the abduction. Most of them were not even in Windbloom at the time. Some of them were not even in the same hemisphere at the time. Most people that disliked Natsuki were from other countries.

A light bulb went off in Koji's head it seemed as he suddenly looked up. "Have you checked on any enemies of Shizuru or her family?" he asked.

"Shizuru?" Miss Maria echoed and then she sighed. She could not believe that they had not considered that yet.

"Surely Shizuru and her family have enemies. I understand that Shizuru is a very beloved Otome, but then again, so was Natsuki, and she had enemies. Shizuru, do you have any?" Koji asked, but the Third Column was still too out of it to say much.

"I suppose we do have some enemies," Dante commented, rubbing his chin in thought.

"None of them have ever tried anything like this, though," Shizue pointed out.

"No, nothing like this. I'm sure most of our enemies know you'd be eating their hearts with your dinner if they tried anything like this," Dante remarked, causing his wife to roll her eyes. "None of my intelligence brought up someone who hates our family, though," he said.

"Heaven help them if they did. I'll see our enemies dead, buried, and the ground salted where they lay if they had anything to do with my granddaughter being in danger," Shizue proclaimed in a dangerous tone, showing where Shizuru inherited her temper.

"Like I said, eating their hearts," Dante repeated.

"You know, maybe not us, but Onee-san has plenty of admirers. Some of them could be misguided," Daphne recalled.

"You really think Shizuru's fans could kidnap Natsuki? She would tear them for apart and use their arms for back-scratchers, pregnant or not," Mai stated, folding arms across her chest.

Suddenly, Shizuru sat up. She locked eyes with Miss Maria as the now-main-suspect came to her mind. Miss Maria seemed to get the telepathic message conveyed through those red eyes. The older Otome sighed and shook her head.

"Tomoe," Shizuru growled. "That bitch! I know this is her!" the worried Otome hollered, jumping to her feet and punching the table. Everyone flinched when they heard her fist go through the wood. She did not even wince.

"Onee-san, calm down!" Daphne pled, trying to pull her older sister back into her seat. She could not move Shizuru, not until Anh helped some and even then, they could not get Shizuru down until she wanted to sit.

"It's Tomoe! I know it is! She's persistent and out of her mind!" Shizuru informed them all, which they already knew.

"Her again," Haruka growled in anger. She still had not forgiven Tomoe for trying to steal Yukino's position, as she saw it anyway.

"Tomoe?" Queen Mashiro echoed, sounding intrigued. The name sounded familiar to her. She quickly pulled out the pack of papers that she had from her own investigation. She flipped through the papers until she came to the name. "Are you referring to Tomoe Marguerite?" she asked curiously.

"Yes…" Shizuru answered slowly, studying the Queen. "Do you have something over there?" Her voice was anxious, thinking that they might finally have a break.

"I might. I haven't had a chance to study most of the information coming in because it's a lot of stuff, but I knew I had come across that name already. Sister-in-law Sakura Kruger was put into contact with one Tomoe Marguerite when she was looking for someone who knew the grounds of Garderobe," Mashiro reported, pulling out several pages from her files.

"Sakura has had contact with Tomoe?" Shizuru inquired, narrowing her gaze. Her face looked downright predatory. Someone needed to be questioned again…with more severe methods. Screw international law!

"So far I only know she was put into contact with her, but…" Mashiro trailed off and just motioned to the pile of papers in front of her. "I have several stacks in the palace too. Aoi and Arika are going to help me sort through them." There was just so much information. She was sure they would find something, but it would take time. Time that she knew they did not really have.

"I'll help too," Chie offered.

"Try to actually do some work," Haruka remarked.

Chie rolled her eyes. "I know when to be serious, General," she replied. Haruka looked a little skeptical on that, but for once, did not say anything about what was on her mind.

"So, what's left to do besides more searching?" Kenta inquired.

"Let's go have a talk with Sakura and find out her connection to Tomoe," Shizuru stated and she did not wait for a response. She started walking and everyone at her table knew that it was best to follow her. The Kruger royals went along with them, not sure what else to do.

"She's going to kill that girl," Chie muttered.

"Which one?" Aoi wondered aloud.

"Well, Sakura first since she's here, but Tomoe is definitely a dead woman now if she is the one with Natsuki," Chie realized.

* * *

Natsuki took a deep, soothing breath, trying to ease the soreness out of her thighs. Tomoe had just taken a long time beating her along the legs before injecting something into her body. It had left her woozy for a long while and Tomoe took that time to take a nap. It was not the first time this had happened.

Natsuki knew that Tomoe was getting complacent with her, thinking that she had total control over the helpless principal. She still fell asleep quite a distance from Natsuki, though. It was as if she knew that Natsuki's mind was working overtime to get out of her predicament. Being too close could easily mean having her neck broken as soon as Natsuki got free, even though Natsuki doubted that she could muster the strength to do such a thing. Putting a few feet between them gave Tomoe time enough to counter if the pregnant woman managed to get free of that platform.

Tomoe also made sure not to leave any of her playthings close to Natsuki. She knew one misplaced knife or scalp could mean Natsuki cutting her own hand off, like some desperate animal, in order to break free. Other than that, she thought that she was being careful enough.

Of course, she had not taken into account Natsuki's nanomachine levels rising. But, how could she? She had not even known that they were low. She thought that keeping the headmistress drugged up was what kept her pinned to the table.

Natsuki knew that soon her nanomachines alone would let her break free, but she was not sure if she could wait that long. It would take much more time for her to get to that level of strength. And it would put the baby in danger to wait that long. No, she needed to think of something. Preferably now.

Natsuki scanned her surroundings as best she could, wanting to see what Tomoe might have left by her for her to use. There were items on the table far off, but there were always things over there. She needed something closer. Wiggling a bit, she felt around her narrow area. Nothing. Tomoe had left nothing for her to grab. _Damn it!_

"All this time and this bitch and is still thinking enough to know that I could seriously fuck her up if she left so much as a needle next to me," Natsuki growled.

That brief noise woke up her tormentor, snorting as she rose. Quickly, Tomoe turned her attention to her "toy." Natsuki knew that look. She took a deep breath as Tomoe stood before her with a smile. Tomoe reached out and rubbed Natsuki's stomach.

"How's Takara doing?" Tomoe asked with a purr.

"Stop touching her," Natsuki snarled. No matter how many times it happened, it still disgusted her whenever Tomoe touched her or addressed the baby.

"Let's get her some food and drink and then we'll get back to you," Tomoe decided, caressing Natsuki's belly once more.

Natsuki sighed, wondering what new torture Tomoe had in mind for her. The green-haired woman was never without some new form of torment. She seemed quite determined to break Natsuki and for every time it did not work, she came up with something even more horrifying.

"Do you think soon Takara will be able to come out?" Tomoe asked curiously.

"No. She has a few more months," Natsuki answered honestly. She disliked that Tomoe seemed to be getting more and more interested in when the baby was coming. Something told her that the curiosity did not stem from anything good. She wondered just how long she had been stuck with Tomoe too for her to keep bringing the issue up. Had a month or more past for her to think it was safe for the baby to come out?

Tomoe nodded, as if she understood what Natsuki meant. "I'm sure she does, but I've heard about premature babies being born. I was just wondering how often that happens and how far along a baby usually is when it does happen."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. _Tomoe can't possibly think I'm going to add to this fucking conversation!_ She had a feeling where things were going too. _This fucking bitch thinks she's going to cut this baby out of my stomach? Over my fucking dead body!_ At that thought, she realize that, yes, it would be over her dead body.

"It's best when a baby is allowed to grow to full term," Natsuki informed her tormentor.

"But, they can live if they come out early," Tomoe argued.

"Yeah, and they have a higher chance of dying, especially if they weren't ready to come. Labor should start on its own and the baby shouldn't be forced. The reason babies stay in the womb for so long is because they're still developing. When they come out early, they're underdeveloped," Natsuki pointed out, hoping that would get any crazy ideas that Tomoe was having out of her head for now.

"But, some of them do live," the green-haired woman continued, pressing the issue. Her insistence made Natsuki think that she and the baby had very little time left around the unhinged female.

"There is a better chance of survival if the baby is allowed to go to full term," the principal tried to assure the younger woman.

"I suppose," Tomoe sighed as if she was giving up. "Well, let's get her some food. Perhaps it'll help Takara get stronger and she might come out sooner than expected, huh?"

Natsuki frowned, pretty much knowing just what Tomoe was planning. She doubted that the baby would survive a do-it-yourself C-section from Tomoe. She also doubted that she could talk Tomoe out of it for long. _Damn it!_

"Are you all right over there, principal?" Tomoe asked, a smile heard in her voice.

"You're really into this, aren't you? You're having a good time working me over, huh?" Natsuki asked.

"Oh, it is a fun pastime. You deserve it, after all. You did steal Shizuru-onee-sama from me."

"I _stole_ her from _you_?" Natsuki asked incredulously. _What the hell is wrong with this girl? _Of course, this was not the first time that Tomoe said that, but it was just hard for Natsuki to grasp. She was trying to get inside Tomoe's head and figure her out, but she feared that Tomoe was too far gone for that to happen. Tomoe was truly living in her own fantasy world.

"Yes, she was mine and then you stole her from me. She would have stayed with me if it wasn't for you," Tomoe stated plainly, as if that was the simple truth.

"What world do you live in?" Natsuki inquired. She could not fathom just how off the deep end Tomoe was and seemed to be getting worse every second of the day. Apparently, she was not the only person that needed meds.

"The one that doesn't have you in it," Tomoe answered. "Now, let's get Takara fed and then you and I can get back to work."

Natsuki accepted that, but in the back of her mind, she thought about the baby. Okay, escape needed to happen now. She was not sticking around much longer to have Tomoe cut her open and take the baby out of her.

* * *

Shizuru had to be dragged out of Youko's lab by Anh, Haruka, Chie, and Daphne. She was screaming at the top of her lungs for Sakura to tell her where Natsuki was and what the hell deal she worked out with Tomoe to kidnap her beloved. Sakura—to her credit—stuck to her story of not know what was going on, even when Shizuru picked her up off of her feet by her collar. Sakura knew that she had a better chance of staying alive and keeping her position if she denied everything.

Of course, she had almost come very close to death when Shizuru had entered the infirmary room, which was basically her cell. The look in those blood-colored eyes had scared her to the point of shaking. And when Shizuru calmly demanded to know where Natsuki was, all Sakura could do was deny it once she remembered how to speak. Shizuru did not buy that and she had taken a step toward Sakura, letting her know how a cornered rabbit felt when a wolf was closing in. Just as Shizuru had reached out, undoubtedly to do her harm, the others rushed in and stopped her. Sakura had breathed a sigh of relief as Shizuru struggled with her friends, going so far as to hurting them in an attempt to get to Sakura.

"Tell me where she is!" Shizuru hollered, trying her best to claw her way away from the others to get back to Sakura.

"Onee-san, calm down! We'll get answers from her!" Daphne promised, doing her best to keep a grip on her sister. It was a difficult feat since Shizuru had already bruised her arm when the fighting started. She knew when Shizuru had injured her and Anh that if they let her get to Sakura, that woman would be as a stain on the wall and a memory when Shizuru was done with her.

"I want to know now! I want to…" Shizuru suddenly flopped down and sobbed into the tiled floor. "Natsuki…" she moaned as if in serious pain. Clutching her stomach, she screamed at the top of her lungs like a wounded animal.

"Onee-san…" Daphne was unsure what else to say. She was not sure what to do; she was sure that no amount of hugging would fix the broken soul before her.

"Shizuru-chan," Anh said, leaning down to her former charge, ignoring the pain that shot through her back as she did so. The pain was there thanks to Shizuru, but she did not hold that against the younger woman. She caressed Shizuru's wet cheek. "You know we're all working hard for you, for Natsuki, and for the baby. That's our niece and we all love Natsuki a great deal. We _will_ find her," the princess vowed.

Shizuru wanted to believe them, but it had already been so long and they had not gotten anywhere. And now, they would not even let her beat answers out of Sakura. She was at a loss on what to do now. She did not have any fight left in her at the moment, so she allowed them to make her these hollow promises and she allowed them to take her home while the Kruger brothers were left to deal with Sakura.

Sakura was being kept in an infirmary room, which was only closed off with a curtain. There were people around her all the time, so there was no chance of her escaping. Especially since Haruka was the one standing guard most of the time, but Haruka was not around now. So, it was just Sakura and the family that she had married into. Shuichi pulled up a chair in front of the bed, which Sakura was sitting on. She seemed very focused on the ceiling because if she looked anywhere else, she knew that there would be angry eyes meeting hers. Really, after seeing the wild, intense look in Shizuru's eyes, she liked to think that nothing the Krugers' threw at her would faze her, but she was not going to take her chances.

"Sakura, we know you were in contact with Tomoe and we know that she holds a grudge against Natsuki. Now, you might think that denying everything is the best thing to do, but I assure you, it's not. There are hundreds of people out there, searching for Natsuki, and we are going to find her. She's going to be alive and you know that. You know for a fact that nothing on the planet could kill Nat-kun," Shuichi pointed out in a composed manner of his own. "So, it'll go much better for you if you just tell us what you know. Lead us to Natsuki now rather than having to deal with it later."

"I don't know what you're talking about. The last time I saw Natsuki was during the meeting I had with her. She walked me to the gate like always and I went to my hotel room," Sakura stated.

Shuichi nodded slowly and chuckled a little. "You know, we're going to find out. We're going to find out that you're connected to Tomoe, Sakura. We're going to find out that you helped set Natsuki up. We're going to find out that you helped abduct Natsuki. And lastly, we're going to find out why you did all of this shit. And then, we're going to make sure you get what's coming to you," he promised her in a sound tone.

"I didn't do anything," Sakura replied as if that were true.

Koji laughed. "Come on, Sakura. We all know that's a lie," he chimed in with confidence.

"Prove it," she dared them all.

"Don't worry about that. We're going to. You see, me and Hiroshi have already been piecing together that bullshit you were pushing to drive Kenta away," he said, motioning to the youngest brother.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura replied, sticking her nose even higher in the air.

"Are you sure this is the way you want to play this, Sakura? I'm telling you that you're going to regret this. You really need to just tell us what we want to know," Hiroshi said in his usual calm tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about, so obviously I can't tell you what you want to know," Sakura insisted.

"Sakura, it isn't wise to continue to play this game," Hiroshi said.

"To hell with this!" Nao suddenly declared and decided to go Shizuru's route. She marched up to Sakura and wrapped her hands around her throat. "Tell me where the fucking mutt is right now or I swear to all that is holy that I'll splatter your fucking brains all over this infirmary!" the redhead screamed.

Sakura gagged and found herself unable to even deny anything. Nao glared at her with pure hatred in her lime-colored eyes and tightened her grip. The Kruger brothers were tempted to just let Nao choke the shit out of their sister-in-law, but they quickly thought better of it. They did need Sakura to be able to talk if they wanted to get anything out of her, after all. Kenta put his hands around Nao and gently pulled her away. She resisted for a moment, enjoying the feel of the girl's neck in her grip and her life in her hands. But, she let go when Kenta applied just a little more pressure to her shoulders.

"She's not worth it, Nao. She's not," Kenta whispered to the redhead, who turned in his arms. She threw herself into him and began to quietly sob on his shoulder. He led her away from the group and caressed her back. "It's okay, Nao. It's okay."

"I don't know why I'm crying. I don't even like fucking mutt. It's just that not having anyone to tease around here would be so boring," she said, her voice muffled by his body.

"I know, I know," he replied in a hushed tone, continuing to rub her back. He knew that the nature of Natsuki and Nao's relationship meant that verbally, they could only express dislike for each other, but he already knew there was more to them than that show. When he started going out with Nao, Natsuki had made some comments to him that showed she worried about him hurting Nao as much as she worried about Nao hurting him. And now Nao was bawling over Natsuki being missing. He wondered if they were even aware that they liked each other.

"Stupid mutt. What kind of attack dog gets kidnapped? She's so stupid. I mean, what kinda Otome gets knocked up and then gets kidnapped? How can she lead a school when she can't even take care of herself? Stupid Natsuki, making us go through this," Nao mumbled.

"It'll be all right," Kenta promised her. It did not go past him that he was giving Nao what she had given him for the first few days of Natsuki missing. Glancing over at Sakura, he knew that he never would be so supportive of her and vice-versa.

Shuichi and the others glanced over at Kenta and Nao, but did not say anything. They focused on Sakura, who was sticking to her story of not knowing anything. No matter how much they grilled her, she swore that she did not know anything. Eventually, she was left alone and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Sakura knew that she was in major trouble because of Tomoe and she did not know what to do aside from denying everything. She knew that getting away was impossible. She did not know her way around the school and everyone there knew that she was under suspicion. Besides, she knew that if she did try to get away, she feared that they would let Shizuru get her and that crazy wench would kill her. She was certain of that.

* * *

The cavern was not as quiet as it usually was. Earlier, Natsuki and Tomoe had heard some rocks cave in. Natsuki was not sure where it was, but she was thankful for the noise it provided. The cave in must have knocked down a wall to an underground stream because they kept hearing the rush of water in the distance.

At first, the noise cost Natsuki greatly. Tomoe had beaten her because of the annoyance of the running water. The cave-in bothered Tomoe just because it was not something that she planned for and anything that veered from her plan threw her off. So, Natsuki paid for it, but even that had its benefits.

After the beating, Tomoe had fed her and gave her water. Tomoe then decided to go to sleep, having exhausted herself with her torture that day. Natsuki decided that she was going to get the hell out of there now. Tomoe had continuously talked about how premature babies tended to live, so Natsuki knew that she needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Especially since Tomoe had flashed her several giant knives earlier and she knew what they were for.

_I hope these fucking nanomachines are up to the task_, Natsuki thought. Her plan was crude—rip her bonds off. If she had enough build up of nanomachines, it should not be a problem, she figured. Of course, if the nanomachines had built up that much, it meant that the baby was in serious trouble.

Groaning in a low voice, Natsuki struggled, trying to lift her right arm. She could feel veins popping up from her limb, but nothing seemed to be giving. After a few minutes, she needed to take a break and catch her breath. She glanced over at Tomoe, wanting to make sure she was still asleep. The green-haired woman was knocked out.

_Come on, Natsuki. Come on. For the baby. For Shizuru. For your family. Get your ass out of here!_ Natsuki started struggling again, trying her best to lift her right arm. The bond tore into her wrist and she started to feel blood flow down her hand. She did not care that she tore open her skin and continued on attempting to lift her arm. _Come on! I know you can do this shit!_

Natsuki then surprised herself by breaking the metal clamp and almost punched herself in the face. Not caring about, she reached over her as best she could to help free her left her hand. Growling, she ripped the bond away with a strength she was surprised she had. Sitting up, she quickly spotted Tomoe and saw that she was still asleep. She also spotted the table with many of Tomoe's little toys.

The principal swung her legs off of the platform; Tomoe had left her legs free as she had done a few times because she did not think Natsuki was going to get away. Natsuki wobbled over to the table and searched through what was there—weapons, mostly whips, needles, and drugs of all kind. Natsuki grabbed a bottle, recalling that when Tomoe used this oddly amber-colored drug on her, it knocked her out almost immediately. Filling a syringe as fast as she could, she went over to Tomoe and injected her with it. The drug worked so rapidly that Tomoe woke up just in time to feel the jab and try to lunge for Natsuki. She passed out, falling against the pregnant woman.

The ebony-haired Otome flung Tomoe to the ground and then searched the area as quickly as possible for some supplies. She found where Tomoe kept the water, but found that it was all gone. Cursing, Natsuki decided to just get the hell out of there and walked off, looking to find her way out of the cavern. It was not too hard. She was not as deep in the cave as she thought they were. Dry heat hit her as soon as she stepped out of the cave and she saw that she was in the desert.

"Fuck it, I can make it home," Natsuki said aloud. "I'm coming, Shizuru. We're coming home, baby," she vowed, marching off in the direction that the sun was facing. She hoped that the sun was starting to set because she was pretty sure that Windbloom was west. She was going home.

* * *

Next time: Shizuru finds a new way to make herself useful while Midori shows up in the tale and has something to do with Natsuki.


	15. Lucky break

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

15: Lucky break

"Youko-sensei, please, reactivate my GEM!" Shizuru begged. She was actually on her hands and knees in front of the scientist, who was sitting at her computer. Youko was trying her best to ignore the pathetic, frightened Otome kneeling before her. It was getting more and more difficult to ignore her, though.

Youko sighed. "Shizuru-san, you know I can't do that. Your family and Natsuki's family requested that your GEM remain off and I agree. You're in no shape to go out." Shizuru was not to be trusted with any serious duty as far as anyone was concerned. They barely trusted her to wander the school alone by now. There was no telling what she might do—to herself or someone else. Her mood swings were wild and she was very much mad with grief.

"Because of you! You're keeping me from finding my beloved and our child! It's been a week! Natsuki needs me and you're keeping me prisoner here!" the Third Column screamed, yanking on her clothing. It would not have surprised the chief medical officer if she tore her dress, but it remained in tact.

"Shizuru, the last time we let you out, you know what happened. It's better for you to just wait here for everyone else," Youko said. They were sure that if Shizuru went out again to search, she would end up killing herself from exhaustion.

"I need to find my Natsuki!" Shizuru hollered. "PLEASE!" Tears of frustration and sorrow leaked from begging scarlet eyes.

Youko sighed and shook her head. "Shizuru, we're getting close to that. You know we are," she replied and then something on her computer drew her attention. "Holy crap. Was that what I thought it was?" she wondered aloud with an astonished expression on her face.

"What? What happened?" Shizuru inquired curiously—almost anxiously—because of the surprised question from the scientist. It might have had something to do with her family, after all.

"I thought I just saw signs of Natsuki's nanomachines activating. Of course, she wouldn't be able to do that without her GEM," Youko replied, eyes stuck to her computer, just in case it was not a mistake.

"What does that mean?" Shizuru asked, voice trembling with hope. Maybe her beloved was trying to get back to them and she needed help.

"It was just a blip. It could have been a computer malfunction or perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me," the scientist explained, waving it off to avoid working Shizuru up. She knew that the second Shizuru thought something was going on, she would be hyped up and ripping in all directions.

"Or…?" Shizuru pressed with an arched eyebrow.

The doctor sighed again. "It could mean that Natsuki used her nanomachines in a burst of strength or trying to activate her Robe or something like that."

"So, there's a chance that Natsuki is out there trying to get back to me?" Shizuru begged to know.

"It is possible."

"Then you have to activate my GEM!" Shizuru implored the doctor, hitting herself in the chest a couple of times.

"You know I can't do that," Youko answered with sympathy in her eyes. She could not imagine the pain and suffering that Shizuru was going through. She knew that if Shizuru's recent behavior was any indication of things, being in the ninth circle of Hell was probably a less cruel fate for her.

"I need…I need to do something…" Shizuru whimpered. She needed to help her wife or she was certain that she was going to go out of her mind. She would rather go out searching, especially since they were not letting her next to Sakura anymore.

"You are doing something. You're not killing yourself over this and you're not killing anyone else over it. You're going to be healthy and well for when Natsuki comes in. You must know she's going to need your support then. She's going to need you at your best," Youko answered, leaning down and putting her arms around the crushed woman.

Shizuru sniffled. "She will need me, won't she?"

"Of course she will. She'll need you at your best. The baby will need you at your best. We both know that Natsuki wasn't out there voluntarily and she'll undoubtedly need plenty of time to recover from the ordeal. You have to be ready to take care of her and to care for the baby. All right?"

The tawny-haired Otome sniffled again and nodded to show that she understood. Knowing that Natsuki was trying to get back to her just as badly as she was trying to get to Natsuki helped steel the distressed woman. She needed to get herself together for when her wife and child made it back to her. She climbed to her feet and took a deep breath.

"You're absolutely right," Shizuru concurred, trying her best to sound as strong as she knew she needed to be.

"I'm glad you see it my way," Youko said, a little startled by Shizuru's sudden change. It seemed as if she honestly got through to the younger woman.

"Please, keep me posted. I think I'll go assist my father. They have collected a lot of information and they do need help going through it," Shizuru informed the scientist.

"I will do just that. I'm glad you're done feeling sorry for yourself."

Shizuru smiled a little and decided to get out of there while she still had control over herself. She figured that if she remained busy then she would be all right, so she would help her father and Queen Mashiro sort through all of the information that they gathered. There was new hope in her and she decided to have faith in her family, friends, and of course in Natsuki.

* * *

Natsuki tried her best to shield her face from the pelting sands blown by the wind. Her chapped, cracked lips begged for water that she did not have. Her exhausted body prayed for shade and rest. She continued walking, knowing that if she stopped for just a moment, she would not be able to keep going.

"I'm coming, Shizuru. Me and the baby are coming. I've been trying to think of new names since Tomoe ruined Takara for me. That was such a pretty name, but not anymore. Maybe we could name her after you, Shizuru. What do you think about that? I bet she looks just like you. She's a trooper. She's hanging on here to get back to you. She's counting on me to get her back to you," Natsuki said, speaking aloud. She found that talking aloud kept her moving, so she had been holding a very long, rambling conversation with herself.

She was pretty sure that this was her second day of walking, but she was not willing to completely trust her mind. She had settled down last night, finding some place to protect her somewhat from the desert chill, but that did little for her other problems. By now, she was very hungry and thirsty. The baby was tossing and turning in her stomach, making every move that she made extremely uncomfortable. She had been holding back the urge to vomit for sometime now, but all of the baby's activity was making her nauseous.

"If you hold on, baby, we'll make it to Mommy. Hmm…I wonder if Shizuru wants to be known as 'mommy.' She calls her mother 'okaa-san.' I call my mother 'mom.' I don't care what you call me. I don't mind at all. I don't think Shizuru would mind either, but you'll probably wanna call her something respectable, dignifying. Shizuru is a very dignified woman when people are watching, but when we're alone, she's mostly silly. You'll like her a lot as a mother. She'll teach you a bunch of lady-like things that I don't even care about. But then again, she doesn't really care about them either. She just does them for some reason. Shizuru's funny like that, but I love her.

"I love Shizuru a lot and I'm happy we're having you, baby. We're going to be just the happiest family ever. You wait and see. I got a little scared at first when Shizuru started talking about having a baby before we even figured out where we're going to live and when we're going to quit our jobs. Still, I want to start a family with her and you're the beginning of that. I know we can make this work. I still have a couple of years being principal in me, which I think I can manage with you. I have to find and train a replacement, you know. I don't think it'd be that much trouble, even if you're around. I don't get many visitors at work, so we can set up an area for you. If a meeting does come up, I'm sure someone would babysit you for a while. I mean, we had plenty of offers when we mentioned it casually that we might start our family soon…"

Natsuki wiped the hot sweat from her brow and lost her train of thought. Rumbling from her stomach reminded her how hungry she was. She felt stupid for not noticing where Tomoe stored her food and water, so that she could have taken some with her. But, then again, at that time, all she was thinking about was escaping while she had the chance, so grabbing food was not really on her mind. She knew that she needed as much of a head start as possible before Tomoe woke up and started looking for her.

The life in her gut twisted and made her wince. She gently rubbed her belly, hoping that would calm the baby down. She kept moving, even though she was less and less confident of her ability to make it anywhere on her own_. I should've just stayed_…

"Hell, no I shouldn't have! Tomoe was going to cut you out of me, precious. Do you hear that? The crazy bitch was going to cut you out of me. I know time is running out for you, but we're both going to hold on and no one is going to kill either of us. We're going to live through this, do you hear me? You and me, we're gonna make it out of this mess, we're gonna see your Mommy, and we're gonna raise you up right. We might even give you a couple of sisters eventually and you'll help teach 'em a bunch of stuff. You'll grow up strong and good. We'll make sure of that. Maybe even make you an Otome…or a motorcycle racer…whichever…"

Natsuki chuckled a bit at the thought and the baby rolled again. This time, a flinch tore through Natsuki's face and she paused her movements. Turning her head quickly, she threw up whatever was left in her system. Trying her best to ignore it, she wobbled, wanting to put one foot in front of the other. Instead, she fell backwards, out cold before she even hit the ground.

* * *

Shizuru sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Several eyes looked up from the table that she was sitting at, waiting to see if she was going to have some kind of reaction to whatever she was looking at. Nothing came and everyone returned to their work.

Shizuru was in a conference room at the table with Mashiro, Dante, Aoi, and Shizue to go through all of the information that they had on Sakura and now Tomoe. They were starting to put together a timeline. It was very clear that Sakura was connected to Tomoe; they had several bits of evidence, including a picture of the meeting between the two in a restaurant. They all knew Tomoe's connection to Natsuki. The only problem was finding the connection between Tomoe, Sakura, and Natsuki's abduction.

"How could they get Natsuki off school grounds with no one witnessing a thing?" Shizue wondered, scratching her head curiously.

"It was normal for Natsuki to escort Sakura to the gate, so anyone who did see anything didn't think anything of it and went about their business," Shizuru informed her mother.

"Damn routines. This is why I never had one," Dante remarked.

"Really? And all of this time I just assumed it was because you're an idiot," Shizue chimed in right on cue.

"This time line is pretty good," Aoi noted, checking over everything that they had put together so far. They could account for almost all of Natsuki's movements turning the day in question.

"Except we're missing the critical piece of where they actually kidnapped Natsuki or any clue as to where Natsuki could be now," Mashiro said.

"Well, that's just part of the puzzle," Aoi countered, hoping to keep morale up.

"Part of the puzzle that remains blank. Speaking with a lot of Tomoe's family, they're unsure of where—if anywhere—she would hide around here. Unfortunately, they don't seem to keep good track of her. I started getting the feeling that they were just happy she was gone. Talking to many of them and they were under the impression that she was in a mental hospital," Dante reported.

"And what do the people at the mental hospital say?" Shizue inquired.

"Not much. They claimed that they're making strides in her treatment, but they spoke on it as if she was still there, which we all know isn't true now. I get the impression that they're trying to avoid serious criminal charges as well several law suits from her family, as well as other families if this mess spilled into us as it seems to have done. I doubt they'll be able to avoid it, though. Not if what we think happened, did happen," Dante answered.

"Was this facility in Windbloom?" Mashiro asked.

"No, your Highness. Her family recognized that it might be best if she stayed away from any country that she caused trouble in. It's an amazingly long list," Dante commented. "Barely twenty and you're banned from several countries. I suppose you can put that down as an accomplishment," he added.

"Added to that would be kidnapping the principal of Garderobe and wife of Shizuru," Shizue said, shaking her head. "I think the planets were aligned just right for her to pull this off. Other than this, she's more of a nuisance than anything else."

"That's untrue, Okaa-san. Tomoe is dangerous and if her mental health is worse than it was before, she could be even more so," Shizuru informed them.

"She might be that, but I know Natsuki isn't going to let this girl get the better of her. This is Natsuki we're talking about," Shizue said.

Shizuru smiled and nodded in agreement. She felt sure that Natsuki could handle Tomoe now. She could not believe but a little blip on a screen that Youko was not even sure of was enough assurance for her that Natsuki was going to come back to her. The others seemed to agree and found new vigor in the search when Shizuru had told them about the blip. They all figured if Natsuki was trying to get back to them, they needed to at least meet her halfway.

* * *

The sand was piled high, but there was the distinct impression of a body, lying prostrate in the sand. Being more curious than cautious, Midori decided to check it out. She brushed away all of the sand and yelped when she saw what was lying passed out in the desert.

"Dead pregnant woman!" Midori shouted in surprise.

Once the shock wore off, Midori approached the "dead" woman again. She noticed that the pale features—though quite sunburned—looked familiar. Suddenly, the familiar "dead" woman started coughing, which caused Midori to yelp again and going so far as to jump back. She was moments away from yelling "zombie," but thought better of it.

Approaching the fallen, not-so-dead woman again, Midori checked for a pulse. She was stunned by the strength of it and moved quickly to save the woman. It was a struggle, but she got the unconscious form to her vehicle and took off back to the village.

"You just hold on," Midori told her unconscious passenger.

As soon as she was inside of the village, Midori called for help to unload her passenger. Several people came from all directions to help. Some of them Midori sent off to fetch the healer and others to get water for the unfortunate woman that she luckily found. She had the visitor put down on her bed.

"Gently," Midori commanded those handling her "guest." Even though she was put down as gently as possible, Midori still winced at the end. "I said gently, damn it! She's pregnant for crying out loud!"

The outburst earned her a few looks—questioning her sanity rather than apologizing—and nothing more. She dismissed everyone, even though she knew they had questions. She did not get a chance to gather herself as a few people entered with pitches of water. The water was left on the stand by the bed, even though Midori was tempted to force water on the unconscious woman.

Before she gave into the temptation, the healer arrived. The redheaded leader knew enough to stand back while the healer examined the body. Midori did not even ask any questions, just taking in each and every grunt and nod that escaped the Aswad's aging healer. The elderly healer did as thorough an examination as she could before turning her attention back to Midori.

"She's got a strong heartbeat. She might just need the rest. Her body looks like it's endured a lot. She's got open wounds and lashes with plenty of angry looking bruises. I'll dress those properly for her while she's still asleep," the healer said.

"Yuuka-sensei, what about the baby?" Midori asked anxiously. She knew the harsh desert climate could be hard, even on the unborn.

The healer smiled. "The baby seems to be fine. She's got a strong child there."

Midori nodded. "Ah, Yuuka-sensei, does she look familiar to you?" she asked, nodding toward her guest.

Yuuka shrugged. "You know to these old eyes all outsiders look alike."

Midori laughed. "I suppose so. I'm sure I'll figure it out sooner or later. What should I do when she wakes up?"

"My guess is she'll want that water you had brought in and plenty of food. That should be more than enough for now. She might want something for any pain that she'll be in, but nothing we have would be good for a woman in her condition. It's best for her to sleep if she's in pain. Don't bombard her with questions when she wakes up either. You need to give her time."

Midori nodded to show that she understood. The healer walked off, just needing to fetch her bag and supplies to take care of the wounds that she was talking about. As she worked, Midori watched her again. The old woman's face said it all. She was wondering who hurt this pregnant woman? Why was the person so harsh? Had she been left to die in the desert? They would find out soon enough, they figured.

Midori kept an eye on the injured guest since the unknown woman was in her bed. There was not much to see the first day. Midori passed the time trying to remember where she might have seen this woman before. It eventually came to her, but she was not so sure she was correct. After all, it had been a while since she last saw any Otome.

"Otome shouldn't be able to get pregnant anyway…or something like that. I thought they were supposed to virgin maidens or something. I should ask Youko-chan about it one day, if she ever makes it back here. Her and her stupid emergency patient," Midori huffed and folded her arms across her chest in anger. She was sitting in the corner of her bedroom, now fuming at her dear friend. "Damn Youko-chan, not coming home. Isn't home more important than patients?"

Midori knew that she was being unfair. She understood where Youko was coming from, but she just missed Youko. They had become very good friends over the years and very close when they both started researching cures for the plague that the Aswad suffered. They had gotten very far in that field, coming up with a vaccine for those that did not have the disease. Unfortunately, they were still far from a cure for those who did have it. But, at least the community had a high chance of surviving now.

Midori was drawn out of her thoughts as she heard moans in the dark. The noise seemed to be coming from her bed. She rushed over to her guest, who was moving. Emerald eyes flickered open as she tried to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Midori cautioned her guest, putting her hands out to stop the woman physically just in case she did not listen. "Don't try sitting up just yet if you can't."

The redhead was answered with a nod. That was the same answer that she got when she offered the pale woman water. Handing her a cup, Midori filled it with cold water, which was quickly gulped. A second cup was filled and the water was downed just as quickly. After that, coughing echoed through the room.

"You should probably drink more slowly," Midori cautioned the bedridden woman.

Another a cough and there was a nod. After that, green eyes focused on Midori. "Midori-san? I'm with the Aswad?"

Midori smiled. "You certainly are. I can see you're familiar with us. I guess now you can explain why you seem familiar to me. I think you're an Otome."

"I am. I'm Natsuki Kruger. We've met a few times, but they've all been brief and we haven't seen each other in a few years."

"Oh, right! I knew you looked familiar. So, what were you doing wandering around in the desert?" the Aswad leader asked.

Natsuki let out a long breath and ran her hand through her hair. "It's a long story. Would it be too much to ask for food before I get into that?"

"Oh, of course. I'm sure you need plenty of food. As does that little guy inside of you," Midori stated with a smile.

"Girl," Natsuki corrected her.

Midori grinned. "Girl. That's cool. I'll get you some food. When was the last time you ate?"

"Hell if I know. I don't even know what day it is."

Midori shook her head, not sure what to say since it was clear that Natsuki was serious. She moved quickly to get food for Natsuki and put together whatever she could. Since it was midnight, it was hard for her to find any help and she was pretty helpless in the kitchen, so she put together sandwiches, fruits, and raw vegetables. Natsuki devoured the meal, as if she had been starving in the desert, Midori noted.

"I guess that would make sense," Midori muttered to herself.

As soon as she was finished eating, Natsuki fell right back to sleep. Midori collected the empty dishes and decided that her questions would have to wait for later. She hoped that Natsuki did not sleep the whole day away again. That almost happened. Natsuki woke back up late in the afternoon.

Midori provided food for the famished Otome as well as plenty of water. This time, Natsuki found the strength to pull herself up into a sitting position. Midori pulled up a chair, figuring that they would have a nice, long talk now, starting with why Natsuki was out in the desert. Natsuki had other plans.

"Do you think you could contact Garderobe for me? My wife is probably sick with worry," Natsuki requested. She hoped that Shizuru was holding up.

"Wife?" Midori echoed.

"Oh, that's right. You didn't come to the wedding, even though we did invite you."

Midori thought about it for a moment. "Oh, yeah! I remember. Youko-chan wanted me to come with her, but we both ended up staying in the village. A bad bug came through here at the time. Almost all of the kids got sick."

"It's all right. I understand what it means to be responsible for a group of people and I know what it means to have to put them before a boring wedding," Natsuki remarked, trying her best to smile. The expression did not make it onto her face.

Midori laughed. "I heard your wedding was anything but boring. I can contact Youko-chan at the school. She's really the only one I deal with."

"That's fine. She'll tell Shizuru. Is there any way that I can talk to her? I want to ask her some questions about the baby," Natsuki said, rubbing her enlarged belly.

The Aswad leader scratched her cheek. "I don't think you'll be able to talk to her. A lot of the tech around here is old, so you would have to come to the comm. It can't come to you like in most places."

Natsuki nodded. "I think I can manage."

"I don't think so, Natsuki-san. The healer told me specifically to make sure you stay in bed for a few days. She doesn't like the looks of those wounds on your body. Now, she knows those nanomachines in your system help heal you and everything, but she says they still look really bad. She's scared you might get an infection, so you just relax right here. In fact, while I contact Youko, I think I'll have Yuuka-sensei look at you again and check you out."

The ebony-haired woman groaned. "I'm not too good with doctors, especially ones with names starting with a 'y.'"

Midori laughed again. "Something tells me it's not going to help that she's actually Youko's grandmother."

Natsuki groaned again, much louder, answering Midori observation without words. Midori walked off to go contact Youko, making sure to get Yuuka for Natsuki too. A smile worked its way onto the redhead's face, happy for an excuse to call Youko. The smile quickly vanished, though, as she considered what sort of mood Garderobe had to be in, missing a very valuable Otome.

"Midori-chan, I can't really talk right now," Youko informed her friend as soon as she answered the call. "We're in the middle of a huge crisis here."

"I know. That's why I'm calling," Midori replied.

"What do you mean you know? Since when do the Aswad keep up with current events?" the scientist asked in a confused tone.

"We usually don't, but this one sort of fell into my lap."

"Oh, my god. Midori, are you telling me you have Natsuki-san? Please, tell me that's what you're telling me!"

"I do," Midori reported with a smile, happy to be able to deliver such good new to Youko.

"Thank you, Midori! Oh, my god! Is she all right? How's the baby?" the medical officer was practically begging for the information.

"Well, she's got an appetite, I can tell you that. She's been able to hold down the food too, although there were a couple of moments where I had to get her a bucket. She's a little worse for wear, but she'll live. She was up and talking to me. I think she's giving your grandmother hell now. Yuuka-sensei had to bandage up some really bad wounds on her and she doesn't think it would be a good idea to move Natsuki yet. Natsuki wanted me to call you and her wife."

"Oh, god, Shizuru is going to be there by tomorrow. I promise you that. Once I tell her Natsuki is with you and fine, she's going to wring my neck to get me to activate her GEM. She probably wanted you to call me about the baby."

"I think so. Do we need to do anything about the baby? Your grandmother said the little girl is still alive and well in there."

"Okay, I need you to make sure Natsuki does a little as possible. She's supposed to take medication daily, but she's been missing for ten days without that medicine. The baby's in danger because of Natsuki's Otome nanomachines. Keeping her as inactive as possible will keep the nanomachines from multiply as rapidly as they would if she was being active," the scientist explained.

"Sounds easy enough."

"Nothing is ever easy with a pregnant Natsuki. But, as long as you remind her that it's for the baby's good, she'll listen. Tell her not to worry too. We're going to get the process together to get her back here, so I can properly monitor the baby and make sure the nanomachines don't get to the child."

"All right. I'll handle it. Are you going to come out here by any chance?" Midori asked, trying to hide the hope in her voice.

"I'm going to do my best. Right now, I have to focus on reuniting an Otome with her family."

"Of course."

Midori understood that, but she really wanted to see Youko. Still, she did not press the issue. They disconnected and each set about their tasks. Midori returned to her bedroom and could not help chuckling when she saw that Natsuki was giving Yuuka a run for her money. Yuuka was accustomed to difficult patients, but Natsuki was something quite new.

"How did anyone keep you still long enough to get you in a family way?" Yuuka wondered aloud as she finished up with Natsuki.

Natsuki made a face, but she did not say anything. Putting up such a struggle had left her tired and she was ready to go back to sleep. She just had one thing to ask Midori before she allowed the sleep to take her away.

"Did you contact Garderobe?" Natsuki asked the Aswad leader.

"I did. Youko says she'll tell Shizuru that you're here," Midori answered.

"Thank you," Natsuki whispered before drifting off to sleep. Midori sighed, shaking her head, guessing that her questions were going to have to wait. She had no problem with that, even though the questions were starting to eat away at her. What the hell was a pregnant Otome doing out in the desert with such horrible injuries to her body?

Natsuki slept for several hours, not waking up until the next morning. When she woke up, she felt a hand clutching her own tightly. Turning her head, she smiled when she saw Shizuru was sitting by the bed and holding her tightly. Shizuru's eyes watered when she locked eyes with Natsuki.

"Beloved…"

* * *

Next time: the couple is reunited.


	16. One thing

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

16: One thing

Tears slid down Shizuru's face as she stared into the emerald eyes of her dearest wife. Natsuki smiled and reached out to wipe away the tears. The action earned her a laugh from Shizuru, even though the move was rather weak. Still, just feeling Natsuki after so long was wonderful.

"I was so worried…" Shizuru confessed in a low, trembling voice. She put her hand to Natsuki's own and gently caressed the fragile attachment.

"Fear not, Shizuru. You know nothing can stop me for long," Natsuki remarked, hoping to make her partner feel better. Her voice was too fatigued, her eyes were too gazed over, and her features were too drawn in for her to really set her wife at ease.

"Natsuki…" the tawny-haired woman whispered, more tears pouring from her eyes. She sniffled and wiped away the tears.

Natsuki tried to force out a smile, but she just looked hurt and exhausted. "It's all right, Shizuru. You don't need to say anything right now," she assured the older woman.

Shizuru nodded, clutching one of Natsuki's hands in her own. She kissed the pale, peeling knuckles of her beloved and just held onto her tighter. Natsuki relaxed and reveled in the attention.

"How do you feel, dearest?" Shizuru asked in a low tone. She could guess the answer, but she needed to say something. She _needed_ to hear her Natsuki's voice.

"Better than I have in days," Natsuki answered honestly.

"The doctor…Yuuka-sensei…she was telling me about your wounds…" Shizuru broke off and sniffled a little again. More tears poured out of her eyes, imagining the horrors her love had to face. Listening to the doctor had disturbed her greatly and it had taken a lot of will power to not faint or retch while she received the medical report. She had almost broken down earlier when she entered the room and saw her beloved wrapped in bandages.

"I'm fine, baby. I promise I'm fine," Natsuki tried to assure her worried wife.

Shizuru wanted to say something, but found it difficult to speak around the lump in her throat. She swallowed and tried to compose herself. As she gazed into Natsuki's eyes, she thought about how Natsuki seemed to be taking things so much better than she was and she was not the one lying ill in bed. At that thought, Shizuru took a deep inhale and willed herself to speak.

"Speaking of the baby, how is she?" the Third Column inquired, glancing down at Natsuki's swollen belly.

"She seems fine. I'm sure she would be much better if we got her some medicine as soon as possible. She's been listless the past few days, but now she's not moving much," Natsuki replied, her own eyes drifting down to her stomach. She was more troubled than she was letting on. Before, the baby had been moving so much that she thought it would make her sick and now the baby seemed still. To her, still could easily mean dead, especially since she knew her nanomachine levels were higher than they had been in months.

"I'll tell Youko-sensei right now." Shizuru did not even wait for a response. She was on her feet and out the door before Natsuki could open her mouth. Making a beeline for Youko, Shizuru interrupted a conversation between the doctor and Midori. "Youko-sensei, Natsuki is awake and she's requesting medicine for the baby," Shizuru reported in a hurry.

"Oh, good. The sooner we get this to her, the sooner the nanomachine levels fall. Hopefully, they haven't gotten to the baby yet," Youko said, grabbing a medical bag that was resting on the floor by her. She then turned her attention back to Midori. "Excuse me for a little while. I might be a while with my patients."

The redhead nodded to show that she understood. Youko walked off with Shizuru, going back to the bedroom to handle Natsuki. The principal actually smiled when Youko walked into the room, even though the scientist figured the smile was for Shizuru. She was right.

Natsuki had to seriously fight off a panic attack the moment Shizuru had left the room. Part of her feared that it was all just a dream, an illusion, and she was still stuck with Tomoe. But, with Shizuru back, she could once again believe that she had escaped that green-haired menace and everything was going to be all right. She put her hand out, reaching for Shizuru. Sensing her wife's distress, Shizuru quickly took the offered hand and held it tightly. Natsuki sighed, happy to feel Shizuru and reinforce the fact that she had escaped.

"How are you doing today, Natsuki?" Youko asked curiously.

"It's one of my better days, I suppose," Natsuki answered honestly. Right now, she was quite thankful to be alive.

"Good to know. How do you think the baby's doing?" Youko inquired, keeping her tone friendly to avoid upsetting Natsuki. The principal had already been through enough after all. She had spoken with Yuuka, her grandmother and the village healer, about Natsuki's condition. Yuuka seemed confident that the baby was fine, but she knew that no one would know better than Natsuki.

"Quiet," Natsuki answered in a low tone, glancing down at her stomach again.

Youko nodded, sensing that was not a good thing. Pulling out equipment, she checked out the baby the best she could without the complex equipment of her lab. She had to agree with Natsuki even more after the examination. The baby was motionless and the heartbeat was faint. Using a small monitor, she found out that Natsuki's nanomachine levels were much higher than they had been the last time that she had a scare with the baby.

The scientist did not want to worry the parents, but she knew that she was going to have to explain everything as she did. Natsuki and Shizuru liked to be kept in the loop, after all. So, as she started going through her bag, she tried to think of the most diplomatic way to say what was going on.

"Okay, ladies, so the situation at the moment is that Natsuki's nanomachines are at a level where they would be if she had her GEM and had activated her Robe," Youko informed them.

"How did they get so high? Have I been gone that long?" Natsuki inquired, bewildered and incredulous at the same time.

"You've been gone ten days. They more than likely shot up to protect your body from all of the trauma you were suffering, which is a good thing. If they needed to rise this quickly, it means without them, you and the baby would dead by now. So, the nanomachines did their job."

"But, the levels are too high?" Shizuru guessed.

"It's not so much that they're too high. Since Natsuki's body is no longer going through any trauma and only focusing on healing, the nanomachines will search for other activities to repair. There is a good chance that they just focused on the wounds and did not touch the baby at all."

"But?" Natsuki chimed in.

"But, I would like to get the levels down right now before the machines do notice the baby. The baby might be being quiet and still due to all of the activity going on around her, which is good. She's not calling attention to herself."

"So, she's still there?" Natsuki pressed.

"Of course she is. I got a heartbeat and everything," Youko assured her. There was no need to mention that the heartbeat was not as strong as her grandmother described it a couple of days ago.

"All right, so what will you need to do?" Shizuru inquired.

"I'm going to give Natsuki an injection. It's a bit risky, as we know how Natsuki has a habit of having strange reactions to most medication that involve her nanomachines," Youko answered.

Natsuki and Shizuru nodded to that. The principal was tempted to ask about the risks, but honestly, she did not care. She would do anything for the baby and she had faith in herself to survive anything. Shizuru held her hand tightly, silently saying that she was with her.

Youko sighed, pleased that they did not ask her about the risks. She prepared three syringes, each filled with a different cocktail of medicines. She was a bit scared to try this, knowing that Natsuki's body had yet to meet a medication that agreed with it. Still, it was necessary for the child.

The first injection went without incident, except Natsuki flinched when the needle pinched her skin. Youko paused a moment, watching Natsuki for anything more, but nothing else happened. The second application was not so smooth. Seconds after the injection, Natsuki's skin became clammy and she started sweating. Youko paused again.

"Gimme the last one, doc," Natsuki ordered, clutching Shizuru's hand tighter. Ruby eyes focused on the pale woman, expressing concern, but also calling Natsuki brave. Natsuki smiled at her spouse, hoping to prove that she was okay.

Youko nodded to show that she understood, even though she had to take a deep breath before proceeding. As she moved to the last syringe, Natsuki turned her attention to Shizuru. She brought Shizuru's hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss to trembling knuckles.

"I love you so much, Shizuru," Natsuki said in a strong voice.

"I love you too, my dear, sweet, brave Natsuki," Shizuru replied.

The needle slid into Natsuki's flesh with ease. Before it slid out though, Natsuki started to convulse. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and her whole body tensed. Shizuru was on her feet as Youko was moving to remedy the situation.

"Nothing's ever easy with this one," Youko muttered to herself as Natsuki collapsed onto the bed, eyes closed. Youko opened Natsuki's eyes and shined a small light into them, not getting a response. "Damn it, I hope she just fainted," she begged.

"What's wrong?" Shizuru asked.

"She's unconscious. I have yet to find a medicine that agrees with Natsuki's entire system," Youko growled.

"Is this a normal reaction?" the Third Column begged to know. By "normal" she meant if that had had happened before. She wondered why this could not be the one medication that Natsuki could just take and be fine.

"Unfortunately, no. I think it would be best if we got Natsuki back to Garderobe and I could monitor her condition as well as the baby's condition. The injections should be enough for the baby, but with Natsuki unconscious, this complicates matters."

Shizuru nodded and they quickly made arrangements to get Natsuki back to Garderobe. Yuuka objected at first, thinking that moving Natsuki was the last thing that they needed to do with her various injuries. But, when Youko explained that Natsuki was possibly having the worst reaction to an injection that she possibly could without actually dying, Yuuka relented. Midori decided to go with them—just to make sure everything was all right, she told them.

* * *

Garderobe was abuzz with activity. It seemed like everyone and her sister knew that the school's First Couple was on their way. No one knew all of the details, but the students had taken it upon themselves to prepare a "welcome back" party for their beloved principal. None of the Meister Otomes made any moves to stop them, even though they doubted that Natsuki had met a party that she liked.

As the day pressed on and there was no sign of Natsuki, Shizuru, or anyone else, everyone started to get worried. They wondered if something else could have happened. They all doubted that they could take any more tragedy this month. In fact, they liked to think that they were done with any drama for the rest of the year after this whole incident.

Eventually, it trickled down to the students and many Meisters that the First Couple was in the infirmary. By then, Natsuki's family and Shizuru's family were in the infirmary, by the bedside. They all seemed shocked, seeing just how pregnant Natsuki was. Suddenly, it was real that Natsuki was having a baby and it was also real that she and the baby were in serious danger since she was still unconscious. Seeing her bandaged, bruised, and sun burnt body made things seem even worse than they imagined it.

"What happened?" everyone seemed to ask at once. Youko ignored them all, calling over Irina to help her connect Natsuki to any and every monitor that she could think of. Shizuru managed to stay out of the way while remaining close to her unconscious wife.

It seemed surreal to Shizuru to have her wife back by her side, only for something else to happen to her and possibly their baby. She barely noticed the flurry for activity around her. She was surprised when she finally did notice the beeping from a heart monitor that was set up right next to her. Glancing over at the device, she wondered whose heartbeat she was seeing—Natsuki's or the baby's.

"Sensei…" Shizuru said, turning to Youko.

Youko sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Shizuru…Natsuki is…" She had to take a deep breath because she suspected that Shizuru was not going to take this well. "Natsuki seems to be in a coma…"

Shizuru blinked hard, looking as if she did not understand. "But, she will wake up soon, right?"

"I'm not sure," Youko answered honestly.

"What do you mean? After the medication works its way through her system, she should be fine, right?" Shizuru begged, eyes squinted and face full of confusion.

"No, Shizuru, that's not how it actually works. Now, it's good that Natsuki's brain activity is normal as is her heart rate. The baby's heart rate is a little low, but I'm sure that will pick up once the nanomachine levels go down," Youko reported.

"My Natsuki…may never wake up…?" Shizuru asked in a tearful tone. How was she supposed to live life without Natsuki?

"Shizuru, this is another time for you to have faith in Natsuki's strength. You know that she is quite strong. You have to be strong with her and believe in her," Youko pointed out.

Shizuru nodded, but she could not help wondering just how much strength did Natsuki have inside of her? Her beloved already had to do so much, escaping her kidnapping on her own and surviving through who-knew-how-many trials without any support. How much strength could one person have in her?

Eventually, Shizuru found herself sitting by Natsuki's bedside. She was not sure who gave her the chair or when she sat down, but she never let go of Natsuki's hand through it. She was not the only one that stuck around; the whole Kruger clan remained, as did the Viola family. Nao stayed by Kenta's side too.

* * *

Youko went to her desk and just put her head in her hands. She felt lost and did not know where to begin finding herself. She was more than certain that Natsuki was in a coma and she knew that the medication had put her there. She could not figure out what she needed to give Natsuki for her to just have a semi-normal pregnancy. The nanomachines inside of the principal resisted the medicines and that resistance always came out in these horrible reactions to the drugs.

No other case of Otome pregnancies was like Natsuki's and Youko knew that considering she had studied them all to get Natsuki through this. Yes, there were cases where patients reacted poorly to some medicines, but no one ever reacted badly to all of them! What was she supposed to do with a patient like that?

A hand on her shoulder caused Youko to pick up her head. She saw Midori's smiling face over her. A smile worked its way onto Youko's face thanks to her friend.

"Everything's going to work out, Youko-chan. That one out there is strong like you said. She's going to be okay and that baby is going to be okay too. They're tough," Midori declared with a certainty that touched her friend.

"I hope so. I never thought that all of this would happen just from getting them pregnant," Youko remarked with a forced, tired laugh.

Midori snorted and laughed a bit too. "So, it's been an eventful pregnancy? They certainly don't seem like a boring couple. Nice to see you haven't been forsaking the village just to goof off," she joked.

Youko shot her an insulted look. "I never goof off. I have been working harder than ever. Just because I haven't been there doesn't mean I'm not working," she declared, sounding a little heated.

The redhead held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I wasn't picking on you. I was trying to lighten the mood. I'm sure you have been working hard. You've got this big lab here and everything. I'm kinda surprised the cure isn't just lying around here."

The scientist chuckled a bit. "Sorry for jumping down your throat. I'm a little stressed thanks to those two. I have been doing research from here while watching Natsuki's pregnancy carefully. She needs me a little closer than the village does for the moment."

Midori nodded. "You know, you coming to the village…" she trailed off and turned her eyes to the floor for a moment.

"I know, I know, but I can do research from here, Midori," Youko insisted.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Youko-chan!" Midori huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I miss you is what I'm trying to tell you. I miss you when you don't come back home," she admitted, eyes boring into her friend.

Youko blinked hard, not expecting that confession. "Midori…"

"Wait, I'm not finished yet. Let me talk while I've got the nerve to do it. I miss you when you're not there because you're the only person I can be Midori with. To everyone else, I'm 'the leader' you know? I have to be the responsible, serious one all the time, but for some reason, being around you, I let some of that go. You let me let that go and it's a comforting thing. I miss that when you're not around. I miss having a friend when you're not around.

"Now, I know you're thinking that if I miss you so much, then I should just come here. I know I could, but I do have the responsibility to the village. I understand that you have just as much responsibility here, especially after seeing you with Natsuki-san, but that doesn't make me miss you any less. I just wish that for a day we both didn't have so much on our shoulders and we could just, you know, be together," Midori reported, surprising herself by not chickening out or stumbling through the whole speech.

"Midori…" Youko smiled. "I know just how you feel, believe it or not. I like being around you when you're relaxed and unguarded. The fact that you're so comfortable with me makes me feel comfortable. I would love to be able to revel in that for a few days or so, but we both do have responsibility. But, I will say, when Natsuki pulls through this thing and she has that beautiful baby girl, I'll be able to take a breather and I think I will have earned it. Maybe I'll come by your neck of the woods."

A grin spread through Midori's face. It was so bright that Youko could not help smiling too. Midori then pulled up a chair and sat down next to her friend.

"So, I was wondering about this baby thing. You told me that Otome have to stay virgins and everything, so how is Natsuki as big as a house and all?" Midori wondered aloud.

"We have technology for a woman to have a baby by another woman, so Natsuki never came into contact with sperm…well, actual organic sperm anyway. It's a bit complicated. The point is that Natsuki hasn't been touched by sperm and she's still an Otome, pregnant with her wife's baby."

Midori nodded. "That's pretty amazing. So, the baby really is Shizuru's child too?" Amazement and curiosity made her eyes shine.

The scientist nodded. "Yes, it is. She's quite the proud poppa too. Natsuki's been a very bad patient, though. I'm willing to bet she will never carry another child again."

"Why was she in the desert anyway? She should've been in bed or something," the redhead mused, finger to her chin.

"She was kidnapped almost two weeks ago. She didn't say anything about what happened in the short time she was conscious with us. Did she say anything to you?" Youko asked curiously.

"Nah. She mostly slept while she was with me. I think it's safe to assume with her wounds, whatever she went through was rough."

Youko nodded again and glanced in the direction of Natsuki's room. "Speaking of that, I need to run some tests on Natsuki. I need an absolute number on her nanomachines. I need to take blood samples. I have to check her brain waves…" Youko's head almost spun around as she considered everything that she needed to do and she felt like she should be doing everything at that very moment.

"Youko-chan, take a breather for a moment right now. You can't stress yourself out about this," Midori said, reaching out and putting her hand on the doctor's knee. The simple gesture helped ground Youko and keep her from being overwhelmed by her own thoughts.

"I know, I know, but I don't think anyone realized how much Natsuki means to us and to this place until she was gone. Even though she can be cranky and standoffish, she has no problem with talking to the students, especially when she thinks they have a problem. She might act like a brat with me, but I know this is actually her way of trying to get along with me. As weird as it is, she's endearing in a frustrating way. I finally get what Miss Maria means whenever she talks about Natsuki. There's almost no way to put it in words. It's just like if Natsuki likes you, she gets on your nerves, but in a way that you actually don't mind. It makes no sense," Youko declared. It was so baffling that she would never thought it was possible if someone told her about it.

Midori smiled. "Makes perfect sense to me. You tell me I get on your nerves all the time," she pointed out.

Youko laughed. "So, I do. Are you going to stick around for a while?"

The Aswad leader nodded. "I promised Yuuka-sensei that I'd keep an eye on your shared patient for a while. She's worried about those wounds."

Youko was of like mind when it came to the wounds and she had not even seen all of the wounds because her grandmother did not want to remove the bandages. The ones that she had seen had almost made her wretch, though. She could only wonder what would make wounds look so angry. She would get a better look soon enough because she was going to change the dressings. She was not looking forward to that because her grandmother had described the wounds and Yuuka was not a woman to exaggerate, so she knew that Natsuki's body had been thoroughly abused.

"I'm going to go exploring for a while and leave you to your work," Midori announced.

Youko nodded and smiled her thanks. As soon as the redhead was gone, Youko went about all of her tasks. After doing what she could from her desk, she got up to go and check on her patient. She was not surprised to see that Natsuki's room was still packed. She made a mental note to shoo them away when Natsuki woke up because the principal certainly would not need all of this stimuli after coming out of a coma. Most of them had fallen asleep, which made sense since it was almost midnight.

Youko knew that everyone in the room had spent a lot of energy rejoicing and worrying at the same time, so them sleeping was no big surprise. She doubted that they would sleep long, so she wanted to work fast before she had them asking her a million and one questions or they start commenting on whatever was underneath those bandages. She also did not want anyone to see her breakdown if the injures were as bad as she assumed they were.

Removing the bandages, Youko grimaced and swallowed down some bile that worked its way into her throat. Even though they were healing, the wounds were horrible. There were thick gashes all around her body, as if she had been nicked with broken glass or a razor blade. In other places, there were long scratch marks. Some of them were in uniform rows or had patterns to them. Around them all were deep discolorations; some colors that people would not have even though were possible to appear on the human body.

There were bruises that were beyond black and stood out on Natsuki's pale skin. Welts rose off her flesh, sporting colors of a dark rainbow. Bright scarlet gashes crisscrossed the welts and maroon marks dotted the bruises. Dark green spots circled other wounds. Some even bore yellowish halos around them, filling with pus and other fluids. There was a chance that they were infected, but she doubted it since the nanomachines were trying to heal Natsuki. The only place on Natsuki's body that was unmarred was her abdomen.

"Someone went through great care to avoid her stomach," Youko noted.

Aside from the wounds, Youko also noticed the small puncture wounds on Natsuki's arms and the small of her back. She knew injection marks when she saw them. Now, she wondered if Natsuki's coma might be due to some unknown drugs in her system from whoever harmed her. Or it could have been those drugs mixed in with nanomachine injections that caused the coma.

"This just gets infinitely more complicated every second," Youko muttered. Even though things were getting complex, she was now getting curious about the blood work since it seemed that Natsuki was injected more than once with something. She was also starting to wonder if it was wise to try to lower Natsuki's nanomachines. Who knew what could happen to the principal's body without the added protection.

Youko was not too sure what she should do, but she decided not think too much on it now. She would run the idea by Shizuru when the Third Column was awake and find out what she thought. There was a chance that the nanomachines would leave the baby alone, but there was still the chance that they would go right for the child. There were a lot of options.

After cleaning the wounds and changing all of the bandages, Youko checked Natsuki's brain activity. Nothing alarming there, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief. She figured that Natsuki's body just needed to recuperate from all of the trauma and excitement of the past two weeks. Only time would tell, though.

As time went by, people came and went through Natsuki's room while Youko stayed chained to her desk for the most part. She usually went to check on her patient whenever everyone was asleep. She spoke to Shizuru every now and then, but the Third Column was almost as out of it as her unconscious wife. Still, as time went by, she needed Shizuru to hear some things out and make some decisions.

"Shizuru-san?" Youko said, walking into the room to find Shizuru in her usual chair. She was actually knitting of all things. Everyone had been surprised to find out a few days that Shizuru could knit; it seemed like something she could do, but then again, it also seemed out of place.

"Hmm?" Shizuru replied with strange serenity. It was late that night and it was clear that Shizuru had not slept in days. The dark bags under her eyes set the crimson of her irises on fire, making her look almost like a zombie.

"I need to talk to you about Natsuki, but first I need to talk to you about you," Youko noted. She had been ignoring the others, all telling her that she should give Shizuru something to sleep, but now she thought they might be right. She looked like hell.

"About me?" Shizuru echoed in a pleasantly bemused tone.

"How are you holding up? I know you're not sleeping. Are you bathing at the least?" Youko inquired bluntly. She was too exhausted to consider her manners and she figured that she and Shizuru had been through where they could be blunt with each other.

The Graceful Amethyst nodded. "I have. I don't want to chance contaminating Natsuki."

Youko nodded and smiled a little. "Always thinking of Natsuki. Have you been eating?"

"I have. My mother or sister or someone always brings me a little something during the day. Look, Youko-sensei, I know I seem like I've checked out much of the time, but I am more aware than you give me credit for. I'm just…tired…" she sighed. She was tired of all of this insanity. She just wanted peace of mind and her spouse and child to be healthy. Was that too much to ask for?

"Shizuru, you haven't moved from that spot in days, so excuse me for thinking that you're not all there."

"I just…I just want to be by her side when she wakes up, like before. She was so happy to see me before, like I was to see her. Besides, I've been talking to her too, so I want to her to see me when she wakes up to know that she wasn't imagining or dreaming me here," the Otome explained.

"That makes sense, Shizuru-san. You should be by your wife's side," Youko stated in a low tone. "Now, there are a few issues about Natsuki that we need to discuss."

"Can't they wait until she wakes up?"

"I wish it could. Now, I do believe that Natsuki's going to wake up. Her body has been through a lot, beyond being lost in the desert and the cuts on her body. Natsuki was injected with all sorts of drugs. You might as well consider it a poisoning with dozens of poisons. The nanomachines would help fend those off and help Natsuki survive all of this…"

"Poisoned?" Shizuru echoed. "So, it wasn't the medication that caused the coma?"

"It is possible that it was that. The medication could have had a bad reaction with the drugs already there."

"Does this mean…the baby has also been poisoned?"

"Yes. She is sharing Natsuki's body, after all. Here in lies the problem, Shizuru. The nanomachines are helping fight off the poison, but they will probably get to the baby while fighting off the poison…" Youko trailed off, figuring that Shizuru would get the gist of what she was trying to say.

"Do you really want me to decide if you should keep fighting off the nanomachines or just let them run their course?" Shizuru inquired, eyes pleading for something that sounded just a little less insane.

"It's up to you, Shizuru. There's always a chance that the nanomachines won't get to the baby—" Youko was cut off.

"But, we both know how small that chance is. You already figured that about this time, the nanomachines would devour the baby. But, if we lower the nanomachine levels, the poisons will kill the baby. I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't," Shizuru huffed, shaking her head.

"Shizuru, you don't have to make the decision right now. Take the time and roll it around in your mind. I would like to start treatment soon, but take a little time."

"A little time?" Shizuru echoed, wondering how much that was.

"A few hours."

Shizuru nodded, hating this so much. She could not take this responsibility. She just wanted her Natsuki back and their baby safe. Was that too much to ask? Was it?

* * *

Next time: A decision is made.


	17. Get well soon

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

17: Get well soon

It was dark and hot. Very, very hot. Natsuki woke up wanting to pull at her collar, hoping to get her shirt open and cool off. But, her limbs seemed so heavy and weighted. Breathing hurt and she realized that it was not just her arms and legs that felt heavy. Everything was crushing.

Panic seized her brain and she feared that she was trapped with Tomoe again. Was this some new drug? Had she imagined getting away before? But, everything had seemed so real. Shizuru had been there. She was certain of that. She had felt utterly safe and protected with Shizuru. Shizuru had to be there! She needed to make sure that was true before anything else.

She opened her mouth, hoping to cry out for help of some kind and to call out for her beloved. Instead of saying anything, she started coughing. The coughing subsided quickly and her eyes came into focus. She could see her wife right by her side, knocked out. She breathed a sigh of relief as she took in the image of her usually graceful, elegant spouse. Shizuru did not look like her usual self with her head slung back at a horrible angle, her mouth hanging open, and a spot of drool traversing her chin. But, her presence was all Natsuki needed to know that she was not trapped with that psychopath still.

"Shi… Shi…" Natsuki whispered, trying her best to get the name. She was not able to do so and had to stop to catch her breath, as if trying to speak was a grueling exercise! Growling in frustration, she tried again. "Shizuru…" she forced out and hoped by some form of divine intervention, her spouse heard her. "Shizuru…"

A red eye opened at the sound of her name. The Third Column sat up, as if on high alert. Immediately, Shizuru noticed that Natsuki was awake. She was on her feet seconds later, standing at Natsuki's side and leaning in so close that their faces almost touched.

"Sweetheart, are you all right? How do you feel?" Shizuru asked in an anxious and hurried tone. She was smiling despite the worry that she was still experiencing.

"Hot…" Natsuki answered in a low, groggy tone. Her half-open eyes drifted from her spouse to the bed and back to her spouse. It was almost as if she had no control over her eyes.

"Hot? You're hot?" Shizuru asked, gently patting Natsuki down, as if that would cool her off.

"Very…"

Shizuru removed the blanket from over Natsuki. She then put her hand to Natsuki's forehead, wanting to see if Natsuki was running a fever. Natsuki's forehead was so hot that Shizuru actually hissed and pulled her hand back as if she had been burned. Natsuki groaned a little, sounding miserable.

"Goodness, precious, you're burning up. We need to get Youko-sensei in here immediately," Shizuru announced.

Natsuki grimaced. "Don't…leave…" she begged, her voice was weak and almost child-like. She felt so afraid, but was certain that if her partner left her side, she would panic and make things worse. If Shizuru left, she might die, she feared.

"I won't. I'll get Daphne-chan to do it. She's sleeping on the floor," Shizuru explained. She, her sister, and a couple of other concerned family members had camped out in the room, waiting for some sign from Natsuki that she was still alive. Everyone else was trying to keep busy, mostly searching in vain for Tomoe.

The principal whined when her spouse vanished from her sights. Shizuru leaned down on the floor and shook her little sister awake. Daphne moaned and tried to pull her sleeping bag flap over her head, but found that it was not long enough.

"Daphne-chan, please, wake up. I require a favor from you," Shizuru implored the younger Viola.

Daphne groaned again. "I'll do it in the morning, Onee-san," she promised.

"Daphne, listen to me. I need you to get up now and I need you to get Youko-sensei. Natsuki is awake and running a dangerously high fever," Shizuru growled at her little sister. Silently, she wished one of their parents had stayed behind, but they swore up and down they would be able to find Tomoe, so they were off trying to do that.

"Uh-huh…" Daphne rolled over, obviously more asleep than awake.

"Damn it, Daphne," Shizuru snarled and grabbed her little sister. She had no problem with shaking the teen awake.

"Onee-chan!" Daphne whined, flailing her arms in a rather poor escape attempt.

"Listen to me! I need you to get Youko-sensei because Natsuki is awake and running a very high fever! Go now!" Shizuru commanded, flinging her sister away from her after that.

Daphne was up as soon as Shizuru released her and off by the time Shizuru was by Natsuki's side. Shizuru grabbed her beloved's hand and held it tightly when she noticed that Natsuki was trembling. She forced out a smile for Natsuki, who was trying to smile too.

"Don't…" Natsuki started to say and she paused to catch her breath.

"Hmm?" Shizuru gently pushed, trying to help her wife get the rest of the sentence out.

"Don't leave again…" Natsuki begged. Even with Shizuru gone for such a short amount of time, and only on the floor for that matter, Natsuki felt like she had been abandoned and she would soon be eaten alive. Only when Shizuru was with her, in her sights did she know that she was truly safe and free.

Shizuru tenderly patted Natsuki's shaking hand. "I would never leave you," she promised.

The principal tried to force out another smile, but it seemed she was all out of those now. She was sweating buckets already and she could feel her sheets sticking to her. She wanted to voice a compliant, but talking hurt. Hell, breathing hurt. She swallowed, trying to fight down this fear that she might not actually make it. She had never felt so bad in all of her life and that included when Tomoe was torturing her. This was something well beyond that and she was genuinely, truly afraid.

"Baby…" Natsuki forced out the word, voice quivering.

"Yes, Natsuki? I'm right here," Shizuru replied, clutching her wife's hand as tightly as possible without crushing the bones.

"Love…you…so…much…" The words came out in a raspy groan.

"I love you too, Natsuki. You're my world, Natsuki, so please, stay with me," the older woman begged. She honestly did not like the tone that Natsuki used to make that loving declaration, so she hoped that Natsuki could feel how badly she needed Natsuki to stay with her. She needed Natsuki to fight, to live, and to remain with her.

The pale Otome smiled, eyes shining in a way that let Shizuru know Natsuki was trying to call her an idiot. Shizuru smiled too, even though tears were flowing down her face. Natsuki tried and failed to reach up, wanting to wipe away her spouse's tears.

"I was…I was thinking…of baby names…" Natsuki said, taking deep breaths in between the words, even though it felt like her ribs were constricting her lungs.

"Why? Didn't we pick one out already?" Shizuru reminded her beloved, doing her best to sound chipper and upbeat. She even made a curious face, similar to one that she made when teasing her beloved. Well, it was more like a sickly version of that face, but she tried her best. She figured if she behaved normally, then maybe things would go back to normal.

Natsuki shook her head a little. "Don't like it…anymore…Wanted…better one…"

The older woman nodded. "Do you have anything in mind?"

If Natsuki did have something in mind, she did not get a chance to share. At that moment, Daphne returned with Youko by her side. Once the scientist laid eyes on Natsuki, Youko did not even need any explanations as to what was going on. The doctor just went into action, working around Shizuru since the Third Column refused to surrender Natsuki's hand.

"This is bad, very bad," Youko muttered with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Shizuru inquired, voice cracking from fear as she spoke.

"You name it, it's wrong. First things first, we're going to have to get the baby out of Natsuki. She's got an infection that the nanomachines aren't even stopping. At this point, the baby'll die if we don't do something. The baby isn't moving anymore and the heart rate is dropping," Youko answered.

"Cut me…" Natsuki crooked out. She was willing to do anything to keep the baby alive.

"Looks like we'll be doing that," Youko said and she was happy that she had Natsuki's support in that.

"What about Natsuki? Will she be all right?" Shizuru begged to know.

"Natsuki's treatment will be a lot more flexible if we don't have to worry about the baby and her chance for survival will increase to an almost certainty. Right now, I'm sorry to say, but the baby is what's holding Natsuki back," Youko replied.

Shizuru nodded and after that, all talking ceased. Youko was all about action, working to get Natsuki ready for her c-section. Natsuki was way too weak for induced labor. Youko had to call Natsuki's licensed obstetrician, who was at the school in less than ten minutes. The obstetrician, another doctor that Natsuki did not get along with, agreed with Youko that the baby's life was in danger. Natsuki, while weak, was fine with the idea of going through with the procedure, even though she was at risk. Natsuki displayed a confidence and courage that everyone expected of her.

"Faker," Shizuru whispered into her wife's ear. She knew that Natsuki was putting up a front. One that she rather appreciated since she was ready to fall apart. As long as Natsuki stayed strong, though, she would do the same. She would be strong for her spouse.

"Not by much," Natsuki replied with a tired smile. With Shizuru by her side, she felt much more like her old self, so some of the bravado was genuine. Slowly, but surely, she was feeling more confident in herself and in the situation. She had come through the hard parts, she told herself. Now, it was time to reap the benefits of surviving. "I'm not through loving you, Shizuru, so don't worry. I'm going to make it through this," she vowed.

"I know you are. We've still got a family to add too. It can't just be the three of us," Shizuru reminded her, smiling a little.

Natsuki chuckled a bit and nodded. Shizuru did not release Natsuki's hand. She was glad to find that the doctors were able to work around her. There were a few Otome in the room; they were trained nurses and quite helpful to the doctors. Shizuru focused on Natsuki, not bothering to see what was going with the medical squad. Even when Natsuki was given anesthesia and knocked out, Shizuru watched her carefully, as if that would keep anything from happening to her beloved.

"Shizuru," Youko called for what felt like the umpteenth time. "Shizuru."

The tawny-haired Otome blinked as she finally realized her name was being called. "Sensei?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to hold your daughter for a moment before we move her to our homemade NICU," Youko remarked with a smile.

"Daughter…?" Shizuru echoed as if she did not understand and then her eyes took in the marvelous sight. Youko was holding a tiny bundle with a head full of jet-black hair. Her arms went out without her permission and she clutched the baby to her without even thinking. The ebony-haired child had her hands balled up into tight fists and her eyes clenched shut. "She's so tiny…" Shizuru whispered in awe. Scarlet eyes widened and shined with so many emotions that it was easy to tell this was love at first sight.

"Well, she's ten weeks premature," Youko reminded the obviously proud mother.

"And she comes from a tiny family," Shizuru remarked with a smile, speaking about the Krugers. She then glanced down at Natsuki.

Youko nodded to humor the Otome, glad that Shizuru could actually make a joke again. "There is that too. Okay, Shizuru, we need to take her."

"Since when do we have a NICU?" Shizuru asked curiously as she handed the quiet baby over to a nurse.

"A few people made some calls while we were operating. Everything is taken care of, Shizuru. You know we're going to take care of the First Family," Youko said with a small smile.

Shizuru smiled back and breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to know that the baby was going to be taken care of. She was going to go bother the people in the NICU with a million questions, but that was only after she pestered Youko about her spouse.

"Okay, before I ask about Natsuki, is the baby totally fine?" Shizuru inquired.

"Totally fine for someone who was born two months before she was supposed to be, yes. The infection didn't make it to her, but Doctor Shell is going to do a thorough exam because of the state that Natsuki is in while I take care of Natsuki," Youko explained. Doctor Shell was Natsuki's outside obstetrician.

The younger woman nodded. "All right. Now, what are you going to do about my dearest Natsuki?" she asked.

"Now that I don't have to worry about the baby, I can start more aggressive treatment of Natsuki and we don't have to worry about monitoring her nanomachines. Natsuki is going to be fine," Youko promised. She knew that she should not say that—as life was unpredictable—but she was sure that Natsuki would be fine. Natsuki had lived through too much to let an infection be the thing to kill her.

Shizuru nodded and was a little torn between staying with her wife and going to mind their baby. The baby won out because Shizuru was sure that Natsuki would have wanted it that way. Besides, the baby was not as strong as Natsuki.

Youko sighed as Shizuru left the area. She got to work on Natsuki, feeling much more confidence than she had in the past few days. With the baby out and healthy for the most part, she only had to worry about Natsuki and knew exactly what worked with the principal due to her time with Natsuki and medical records. Despite knowing the correct medication, Youko still had to watch Natsuki. An infection could easily get worse, especially considering how weak Natsuki's body was.

* * *

It was dark again, but not so hot. Emerald eyes scanned the dark room, taking in two sights that she noticed before anything else. Shizuru was right by her bedside, sleeping again. Oddly enough, the other thing that she noticed was Nao in the corner sleeping. She recalled briefly seeing the redhead before.

"Zu…ru…" Natsuki coughed, trying to move her arms. Okay, limbs were still weighted down like lead, she silently noted. "Zu…ru…" she groaned, trying her best to hold in another cough. "Zu…" The coughing won out.

Just as before, Shizuru stirred at the sound of her spouse's voice. Sitting up, she looked over at Natsuki. A smile worked its way onto Shizuru's face when she saw her partner's beautiful green eyes.

"Baby…water?" Natsuki requested in a groggy, weak voice.

"No problem, sweetheart," Shizuru replied, turning to the nightstand by the bed and grabbing a pitcher. She poured Natsuki some water. She put the cold liquid to her wife's lips and Natsuki took small sips before shaking her head to say that she did not want anymore.

"Still night?" Natsuki inquired, glancing around.

Shizuru smiled softly. "Dearest love, you've been unconscious for three days," she informed the younger woman.

Natsuki blinked in confusion. "Three days?"

"Yes, the infection really took a lot out of you. But, Youko-sensei assures me that you're going to be fine and your body just needed the rest. How do you feel?" Shizuru asked, even though she thought it was an obvious question.

"Felt better, but this beats the last week or so. I'm kinda tired, but I wanna stay awake for a while. Stay up with me?" the principal requested. Her voice was small, but much better than it has been the last time she woke up.

"Of course. I haven't left you, except to see our little girl. You delivered us a beautiful baby girl. She's a gem, Natsuki. Are you sure you don't want to call her Takara?"

Natsuki shuddered. "I'm sorry, babe. I just can't do it," she replied. She had to take a breath before continuing. "The name was spoiled for me." She shuddered, remembering the feel of Tomoe's hand on her stomach and her voice purring that name.

Shizuru swallowed hard, not sure if she wanted to ask the question eating at her brain. She was not sure if she was ready for the information. She decided to spare herself for now. She also did not want Natsuki to relive any of her hardships just yet. Natsuki needed to gather herself and recuperate before anything else. Besides, she was certain that she would have a poor reaction the second Natsuki confirmed who took her and what that walking dead woman did to Natsuki and their baby girl.

"What would you like to name her?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Dunno… She's tough…been through a lot…something to reflect that…" Natsuki answered. She then glanced over at the water. Shizuru wasted no time putting the water back to her lips and allowing her to drink.

"Have you thought of any names?"

Natsuki shook her head as the water was taking away from her mouth. "When I was scared…worried…not sure what to do… I thought we'd name her after you…"

Shizuru smiled, but shook her head. "I don't want that, Natsuki. No more than you would want our daughter named after you. Besides, I don't think either of us would fit for her."

"Describe her…might help…"

Shizuru nodded in agreement as a proud smile played on her lips. "Okay. She had a full head of pitch-black hair, like her mom. When the light hits it just right, she looks like she has highlights, which might be a little lighter than my hair color. She's tiny. Just under four pounds."

"Cuz…two months early?" Natsuki guessed.

"Well, it's more suspected because of everything you two have gone through in the past couple of weeks. She's healthy, though. I've been assured she's going to gain the right amount of weight and grow correctly as long as we take care of her, which we will. She's so beautiful. Quiet little bug too. I've been told you were like that when you were a baby."

Natsuki chuckled a bit, but stopped as it turned into a cough. "She look like you?"

"Our mothers are fighting over that. It has actually bought some semblance of normalcy between our families. Since you've been gone, I think your parents are trying to plot some way to get you out of here and back some place where they can see you," Shizuru reported.

Green eyes rolled. "Not going anywhere. Tell me more…"

"All right. She has quite an amazing feature and no one's sure how she got it. There are theories flying all over the place, but I just enjoy it. I'll let you see it for yourself. I just can't spoil it for you."

"Okay. What can you spoil for me?"

"She's just so precious, Natsuki. She's strong like you. Her fists are so tiny and she keeps her hands balled up in them almost all the time. She's looks like she's trying to get to my complexion, but she's not quite there yet. She looked all red and pink when she was born. God, Natsuki, you would've thought that you had given birth to a lobster," Shizuru remarked with glee.

Natsuki smiled and nodded. "Can't wait to hold her…"

"Give it time, love. You'll be able to hold her soon. You'll love her, Natsuki. She's so perfect. Ten fingers and ten toes." Shizuru then took a moment to carefully play with Natsuki's fingers.

The smile broadened. "That is perfect," she said, yawning a little. Her eyelids drooped a little. It was clear that she was close to falling back to sleep. "How's everyone…else?" she asked.

"Everyone's worried about you, sweetheart. We've been making your room a campground. After the infection discovery, Youko's been shooing everyone out of here, but I stay and…" Shizuru trailed off and glanced at the body in the corner.

"Nao stays?" Natsuki's eyes went somewhat wide with surprise.

"You mean a lot to her, Natsuki. You're friends. Maybe more."

Natsuki gave Shizuru a dazed look before her eyes drifted shut. Shizuru smiled and watched Natsuki in her sleep, standing by her bedside for a long while. The Graceful Amethyst felt like they were finally at a turning point in this whole mess. But, she knew that only time would tell with that.

* * *

The next time Natsuki woke up, she saw that Youko was checking on her. She did not say anything to the scientist until Youko noticed that she was awake. The older woman smiled a bit at Natsuki and was surprised when the principal smiled back.

"You must be feeling better or having one hell of a fever dream," Youko remarked. It was a rare day indeed when the pale woman smiled at her. At least since the pregnancy started anyway.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Natsuki answered honestly. Physically and mentally, she realized. She was sure that eventually, she would be fine and Tomoe's treatment of her would be just a bad memory. She had survived and she would continue on. She knew that she had to gather a little more strength quickly, so she could feel comfortable with bringing Tomoe up in a conversation because she knew that Shizuru was tiptoeing around the obvious. She had to tell someone something soon to make sure they caught Tomoe.

"I can understand why. The drugs from before are practically gone from your system and your infection is well under control. Your abdomen scar is also healing well," Youko explained.

"You know, I don't even remember getting cut," Natsuki said, glancing down at her stomach.

"That's not unusual considering the stress that you were under. Your body was pushed to the limit, Natsuki. You have a hell of a limit too," the scientist commented, shaking her head a bit.

"Needed to. Gotta make sure our baby made it. I hear she's a tough lil cookie too." Natsuki's smile was beyond proud and pleased.

Youko laughed and nodded. "That's one serious fighter you've got there, Natsuki. She's already endured so much, but she's just like you. She takes everything you throw at her and bounces right back. She made it through the hard part and she refuses to back down now."

"Stubbornness is a Kruger family trait. It's lasted dozens of generations," the tired Otome remarked with a chuckle.

Youko's expression sobered a bit and in her eyes was pure admiration for the woman in bed. "That's not stubborn, Natsuki. Both of you have great endurance. You have great strength." She hoped that some of the strength came out for Natsuki to tell everyone what she had gone through, but she was not going to bring it up. She knew that psychologically she could harm Natsuki if she brought up a subject that Natsuki clearly did not wish to discuss yet.

Natsuki decided against arguing. "When do you think I'll be able to hold her?"

"Give yourself a few days. They're still monitoring her. You both had to deal with so much that everyone just wants to be sure. Sort of like I want to be with you. I'm going to allow you some visitors, but not too many and not for too long. All right?"

"Can Shizuru stay the whole time?" the principal requested, almost sounding like a small child. While she was feeling better, she doubted that she would be fine without Shizuru next to her. She did not want to chance what her mind might come up with if Shizuru was not there to prove that everything was all right.

"The only way I could get Shizuru away from you is to send her on errands for things you need. Speaking of which, she'll have lunch here for you in a moment. Eat as much as you can, so I can unhook some of these IVs," Youko ordered with a smile.

Natsuki smiled and nodded. Thankfully, as soon as Youko left, Shizuru came back with the food. That left Natsuki little time to worry about being alone, about everything being a crazy dream, about being trapped in that cave and still being tortured. Shizuru smiled at her and held up the bounty that was lunch. It was not anything that Natsuki would have gotten herself; she would have loved a big, fat cheeseburger with lots of mayo and ketchup. Instead, she got herself some toast and hot cereal. But, she was hungry, so she ate it all.

It was nice to be able to taste again, even though the cereal was bland. It was even better to be able to trust that the food did not have some form of drugs in it. Shizuru was surprised, but happy with the rate that Natsuki finished her food. She felt like Natsuki having an appetite was a good thing.

Visitors filtered in after she ate. At Shizuru's request, no one talked about anything heavy, especially nothing to do with Tomoe. They would question Natsuki when she was better; everyone agreed with that, not wanting to trouble her any further, knowing she had already been through so much. Natsuki was happy to see her brothers, but fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with them.

The next time Natsuki woke up, she was just a little bit stronger and able to stay awake longer. Shizuru's family was able to visit with her. They expressed all sorts of happiness about her health and cooed over the baby. Natsuki felt almost a little guilty for not seeing the baby yet.

When they were alone, Natsuki shared her thoughts with Shizuru. Shizuru did not say anything. She walked out of the room, leaving behind a puzzled and anxious Natsuki. She did not like being alone, even for a few seconds, but she did not have time to express that. Moments later, Shizuru was back with a tiny package in her arms. A huge smile spread across Natsuki face, knowing what that package was.

"Wait, is it safe for her to be around me?" Natsuki inquired, even though she knew that Shizuru would not have brought the baby in if there were any chance of something happening.

Shizuru smiled a bit. "It's fine. Your infection isn't contagious, at least not through the air anyway, and everything is going to be fine. Now, she's awake, so you get to see one of the most remarkable features of our darling daughter," she replied.

Natsuki turned her attention to the baby to see what feature was getting such high praise from her wife. The child looked over at Natsuki and grinned. While grinning, her eyes shined, like emerald and ruby. The baby actually had one green eye and one red eye. Natsuki laughed as soon as she noticed.

"Wow, that is amazing," the principal stated, staring deeply into the mismatched eyes.

"Isn't she just adorable?" Shizuru said with pure delight.

"Very. Hey, baby," Natsuki cooed, struggling to lift her hand. She suspected it would be quite a while before she was able to hold the baby since she could not even lift her hand to touch her. Shizuru leaned down, putting the baby very close to Natsuki's fingers. The bedridden woman caressed the baby's lovingly cheek. Suddenly, Natsuki burst into tears. "Oh, my god, Shizuru. She's so beautiful…" she declared, weeping through out the statement.

"I know. Just like her mom," Shizuru commented and she kissed Natsuki's cheek.

"And you said she's healthy, right? Ten fingers? Ten toes? I can see she has two wonderful eyes." The principal sniffled and did her best to stop crying, even though they were tears of joy.

"She is fine, Natsuki. She's better off than you are right now. So, if anything, she should be asking if you're okay," Shizuru remarked. She then took hold of the baby's tiny arm and gently caused her to wave. "Are you okay, momma?" Shizuru asked in a slightly high pitch voice, pretending it was the baby. She hoped the stunt would get Natsuki to stop crying.

"I'm just fine, treasure," Natsuki replied, sniffling again. "I'm just so amazed that we created this beautiful gem. She is such a treasure."

Shizuru smiled. "Are you sure you don't want to name her that?"

"Positive. What have you been calling her since she was born?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"Well, there's a fight over nicknames right now with two in the lead. My family have been calling her Binkie," Shizuru answered.

Natsuki blinked in shock. "Binkie?"

"Well, my mother calls pacifiers a binkie. Our little one has forsaken the pacifier, so I guess my mother thought she was being cute by calling her something that she obviously doesn't like."

"She doesn't like pacifiers?"

Shizuru shook her head. "No, she doesn't use it. The nurses have tried giving her one. She'll suck it for a few seconds and then she'll spit it out. This is actually the only thing she'll do that with. Anything else, she'll put in her mouth. She especially likes sucking on her blanket."

Natsuki nodded. "Okay. And what about the other nickname?"

"Started by your parents. Take a guess," Shizuru said.

"Princess," the principal stated. That was the only thing it could be.

"Close. They call her hime-chan," Shizuru remarked with a smile.

"Same thing. And what do you call her?"

"What your brothers call her—junior," Shizuru quipped with a lighthearted laugh.

Natsuki chuckled and shook her head. "Of course, leave it to those guys. And you just went along with that?"

The Third Column shrugged. "It seemed as good a name as any until we give her an official name. Does looking at her help you think of what you would like to call her?"

Natsuki stared down at their daughter. Her smiling face, shining mix-matched eyes, and creamy complexion, her dark, obsidian hair with what appeared to be golden brown highlights. A new feeling spread through that Natsuki that she could not identify, but she knew that it was connected to the baby. It was something beyond love.

"I would do anything for her…" Natsuki whispered.

"That makes two of us. I would do anything for her mother too," Shizuru commented with a sincere smile.

"Me too."

"Now, do you think you know what you would like to name her?" the tawny-haired woman inquired.

Natsuki tilted her head, staring at the baby. She watched the tiny child wiggle a bit and nodded. Shizuru smiled a little, loving to see how proud and adoring Natsuki was toward their child.

"Shinobu," Natsuki stated.

"Shinobu?" Shizuru echoed.

"You don't like it?" Natsuki asked curiously. She thought their little girl looked quite like a Shinobu and it fit their child in Natsuki's opinion.

Shizuru turned the child to her. She studied the yawning baby. Green and red eyes blinked at her. A giggle escaped Shizuru as the baby smacked her lips together and continued to watch her mother.

"It does fit. I suspect your brothers are going to shorten it," Shizuru remarked.

"If not them, her two cousins will. They're like mini-versions of Shuichi and he was the one that came up with calling me 'Nat-kun.' She'll end up being Shin-kun," Natsuki said.

"No, I don't want our baby to grow up into a tough-biker-tom-boy," Shizuru teased.

Natsuki smirked. "That's practically a given with my DNA coursing through her, but I guess there's always a chance of those Viola genes getting through."

"Viola genes are strong. You should know that from myself and Daphne."

"Kruger genes are worse. My father might not act like it, but once upon a time, he was each one of us."

Shizuru chuckled a bit again. The now christened Shinobu yawned and smacked her lips together once more. Shizuru learned that this was a sure sign that she was about to fall asleep.

"I think I need to get junior back to her bed. I'll be back," Shizuru promised.

Natsuki nodded and reached out for Shinobu one last time. Shizuru put the baby down to Natsuki's level and she caressed Shinobu's cheek a second time. The child let loose a small mew and the parents smiled as if it was the most amazing thing that they had ever heard.

Shizuru went to return Shinobu to her crib. As soon as the baby was lying down, Shizuru caressed her cheek. Shinobu was asleep before Shizuru marveled over the other parts of her child's face. She tapped lightly on Shinobu's small nose and then traced the outline of the child's lips with a feather-light touch.

"Shinobu, you certainly can and will endure. You've inherited that from your mother," Shizuru stated.

The Third Column stayed with the baby for a while, just staring at her. After she left Shinobu, she returned to Natsuki, only to find the principal asleep. Shizuru smiled softly to herself. _They're fine. We're fine. Our family is fine_. Shizuru lowered herself into her chair and she fell asleep at ease for the first time in a fortnight.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki and Shizuru tell their families that they named the baby. And they get to questioning Natsuki to find out what happened to her.


	18. The chase

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

18: The chase

A smile graced Natsuki's features as she watched Shizuru feeding Shinobu. While she was getting stronger by the day, Natsuki still did not feel up to holding Shinobu long enough to do anything with her. She could not wait for the moment where she could clutch Shinobu to her chest and just walk around, bouncing the baby in her arms.

Until she could hold onto Shino, she supposed that she was going to remain just a little down, despite the fact that she was very happy to be with her family. She was also a little disappointed that she was going to miss out on the joy of breastfeeding, but her body was in no shape to pass anything nourishing to the child. She would never admit it, but she had been looking forward to breastfeeding, wanting to bond with Shinobu as much as possible, but that bitch Tomoe had taken that small joy from her.

Aside from that somewhat depressing thought, Natsuki was getting much better mentally. She felt safe enough to let Shizuru leave her alone for brief moments in time. Luckily, Shizuru did not seem to want to be away from her for too long anyway. But, she no longer felt like reality would shift all around her just because Shizuru was not in her sights.

"Are we going to tell everyone that we've finally decided on a name?" Shizuru asked curiously, breaking her wife's thoughts.

"It would be the right thing to do. I'm sad we waited so long. Now, she's going to have to live her life with three fairly bad nicknames," Natsuki answered with a smile. It felt so good and easy to joke around now. It was almost like life was normal, except she was stuck in a hospital bed, Shinobu was born a little early, and she had yet to mention that damned green-haired demon woman.

Shizuru looked thoughtful at their child. "I don't know. I think she looks quite like a 'junior.' Do you honestly believe that name will stick?"

"My brothers have been calling me 'Nat-kun' since I was two years old. I couldn't say my own name correctly and Shuichi thought that was the funniest thing ever…for the rest of my life. I started out saying 'Nat-key' and he turned it into 'Nat-kun' and you know the rest," the ebony-haired Otome said.

"I don't suppose I would mind that. I can see your head exploding whenever someone calls her hime-chan, though," Shizuru commented with a knowing smile.

"I hate it when I get called that, so you're damn right it'll make my head explode to hear someone call my little girl that. I might have to put my stamp on Binkie, just to make hime-chan vanish," Natsuki stated.

"Well, we could always come up with a nickname."

"I suppose. I'm no good at that, though. You know that," Natsuki reminded her spouse. After all, she still just called Shizuru "babe" and "baby" most of the time. She only pulled out "queen" and "goddess" when she was trying to be smooth.

"You're better than you think. You also think you're no good at romance and we both know that's nonsense," Shizuru pointed out.

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "You only think that and you need to stop telling people I am good at romance. I don't want any more phone calls from Haruka, after all."

Shizuru chuckled and decided to drop the matter. She turned her attention back to Shinobu, who was finishing up her breakfast. Natsuki watched with great interest as Shizuru pulled the bottle from Shinobu's mouth and proceeded to burp the baby. Natsuki longed for her chance to do the same. She actually found herself yearning for the strength to just change a diaper.

"I think we'll get everyone in here after Youko-sensei checks on you and gives us the okay," Shizuru said.

"Sure. Sounds good," Natsuki answered.

Shizuru smiled, happy that Natsuki was so agreeable with Youko now. She knew it was because Natsuki was tired of being in a bed and tired of feeling so rundown. She also aware that Natsuki wanted to be up and about as soon as possible, especially to spend time with their daughter.

After Natsuki finished with her own lunch, Youko came in to check on her. The doctor smiled at her patient's progress. She had no doubt that Natsuki would be up and about in a couple of days.

"You're looking much better, Natsuki. How are you feeling? Anything in pain?" Youko inquired.

Natsuki shook her head. "No, I'm feeling much better. Whatever the hell you're pumping me with is working," she remarked with a half-smile, glancing over at the IV by her bedside.

Youko chuckled a bit. "It's more you than anything else, but the medication is working. It's always good to not see side effects. The wounds on your back look much better. All of those drugs are fading from your system. Your little birth mark is looking good too," she replied. The "birth mark" was what she called Natsuki's c-section scar. She heard Shizuru refer to it as such and just could not pass up the chance to say it too. She was surprised that the principal had not snapped at her for doing so, but she knew it was because Natsuki was just pleased to be home, alive, and with her family.

Natsuki smiled and nodded. Shizuru stayed focused on the baby, but she glanced at Natsuki at the mention of her back wounds. Shizuru had seen the angry, evil-looking marks. She feared they would mar her love's pale skin for the rest of her life, a horrible testament to the scariest two weeks of their lives. If the person that she believed had marked up her beloved so badly was the one that did it, heaven helped Tomoe when she got her hands on that girl.

"How's your appetite? Back to normal?" Youko asked her patient.

"Actually, I've been eating like a starving man since you okayed me for real food. I think this morning I had like six scrambled eggs with at least seven pancakes," Natsuki answered.

Youko looked skeptical. "You ate that much? How's your bowels and everything then?" She knew this question would embarrass Natsuki into silence.

"She's doing fine," Shizuru replied for her blushing wife.

The doctor nodded. "All right," she muttered, jotting several things down before turning her attention to the baby. She had to lean down and coo at the child; everyone had to do that to the newborn.

"Hey there, if only your mom was this docile when she's in a hospital," Youko remarked, brushing back some of the baby's hair.

"Hey!" Natsuki huffed, having just enough energy to fold her arms across her chest. The move was a testament to how well she was. Before, she could not have even dreamed of lifting her arms, let alone folding them across her chest. She could not keep the pose up for long, though.

Youko laughed. "I'm only teasing," she assured the principal. Natsuki's temperament had improved so much that she did not want to do anything to change it.

"Youko-sensei, it's all right for Natsuki to have a number of visitors, correct?" Shizuru asked.

"It should be fine. Is there a reason?" Youko countered, turning her attention to the Third Column.

"We've finally named the baby and we'd like our family and close friends to be here for the announcement. This way, no one complains that they weren't the first to hear it," Shizuru explained.

"I suppose it would be fine. I don't want either of them exposed to too much stimulus, though. Natsuki especially since it would be temptation for her. Ten minutes at the most and then everyone has to get out of here," Youko replied.

Shizuru nodded to show that she understood. Natsuki did not say a word, knowing that a smart remark was on the tip of her tongue. Youko left and Shizuru made two phone calls, one to her mother and one to Natsuki's eldest brother. She knew they would spread the word quickly and she was right. It hardly took their family and friends twenty minutes to assemble in Natsuki's infirmary room.

"I guess news does travel fast," Natsuki muttered under her breath. Taking in the sight of everyone gathered together, she noticed her parents were off to the side, standing away from the group. She could only wonder what mess they had started while she was gone. It almost looked like they were being ostracized, so she guessed that they did something fairly bad.

"Everyone, thank you for coming so quickly," Shizuru said with a pleasant smile.

"At this point, whenever you call, we're all trying to move at the speed of light," Shuichi commented.

Shizuru nodded in understanding. "Well, this time, the reason I called is very good news. Natsuki and I wanted you all to know that we decided on a name for the baby," she stated.

"We named her already. She's Junior," Hayate remarked, earning a couple of chuckles from the Kruger brothers.

"She has an official name, on a birth certificate, you goober," Natsuki replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Tell us," Dante urged his daughter and daughter-in-law.

Shizuru and Natsuki both smiled a bit. They glanced at each other, silently deciding who would make the announcement. Natsuki gave Shizuru a slight nod before they turned back to their audience.

"Everyone, I am pleased to introduce you to Shinobu Kruger," Shizuru announced, beaming with delight as she spoke. An outsider would have thought that she held the most precious item in the world in her arms the way she spoke her daughter's name.

"Princess Shinobu Kruger," Hayate chimed in.

"Hey, hey, hey, cut that out," Natsuki ordered him.

"What? She is a princess, just like you, Nat-kun," Koji added in.

Natsuki's chest puffed out with pride. "Yeah, just like me," she stated in a strong voice.

"Hopefully just like Shizuru. We don't want Mom and Dad to have to live through you again," Koji teased.

Natsuki rolled her eyes, but no one noticed because it was at that point Shinobu yawned. Everyone turned their attention to the baby because her yawning was apparently the most adorable thing in the world—as if none of these people had ever seen a baby before. Among the Otome it was understandable, but everyone else, it seemed strange…to Natsuki anyway.

"May I hold her, Onee-san?" Daphne requested curiously. Her niece seemed so small, she was not sure if it was safe for anyone aside from Shizuru to handle her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No one is holding her before her grandma," Shizue stated, stepping forward.

"Not even the grandpa?" Dante asked incredulously.

"Especially not the grandpa," Shizue answered.

Shizuru chuckled at her parents' antics, but she glanced at Natsuki's parents to see their reactions. She was surprised that they had not jumped in. The royal couple certainly looked like they wanted to jump in, but remained quiet. They suspected that Shizuru would not allow them to hold the child; of course, they were wrong.

Shinobu made a few rounds between Shizuru's family and then going to Natsuki's brothers. Nadia took the baby after Shuichi held her for longer than anyone thought he would; the brothers all held onto her longer than anyone though they would, simply utterly enchanted by her. After Nadia, she went back to Shizuru because she had fallen asleep.

"I suppose the next round of holding will have to be when she wakes up again," Shizuru commented with a smile.

"I'll be first then," Anh declared with an impish smile. Mentally, she was going down a list of items that she was going to purchase for her "niece" as soon as they finished up with the who-kidnapped-and-tortured-Natsuki case. She was practically giddy. She had a niece!

"You'll have to beat me here then," Mai declared with a cocky grin. In her mind, she was basically doing the same as Anh.

Shizuru chuckled and went to put Shinobu in her crib. She still was in the makeshift NICU, but that was mostly because Natsuki was not totally comfortable with the baby being in the room with her while she still had her infection. She did not want to chance prolonged exposure to her illness actually affecting their precious daughter. She was thankful to know that Shinobu was perfectly healthy despite her early delivery and whenever she was ready to go home, they would be able to take the baby with them.

Visiting with Natsuki did not last too much longer since everyone knew that they were on a time limit anyway. Most of them wanted to get back to hunting for Tomoe and trying to crack Sakura, even though they were getting nowhere in both instances. As they cleared out, Haruka stuck around, as did Natsuki's parents. Haruka did not notice the parents, which Natsuki knew. The loud blonde approached Natsuki's bed and looked her over.

Haruka shook her head. "How could you let yourself get in a mess like this? I thought you were the tough one," she remarked, teasing Natsuki to help them get back to normal.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "You seriously thought I was the tough one?" Haruka knew Shizuru too well to assume that Natsuki was the tough one in their relationship…but then again, that could also be the reason the blonde did think she was the tough one, she realized.

Haruka snorted. "Of course not! I know that bubuzuke wife of yours has way more guts than you, which is really pathos of you," she declared.

Green eyes rolled, knowing that Haruka meant to call her "pathetic." She did wonder where a blockhead like Haruka learned the word "pathos" though, since Haruka never used or misused a word that she did not know. "Where the hell is your zookeeper to get you away from me?" she inquired.

"Hey, don't call Yukino a zookeeper. That's my wife-to-be!" Haruka declared with more than her usual pride. She puffed out her chest and beat on her heart twice with her fist.

"That's right. Did she leave? She was supposed to show me the ring," Natsuki said, peering around the blonde, trying to locate the president. Yukino was gone, though.

"You can see it later. She didn't want to stay longer than we're supposed to. You just make sure you get your ass out of this bed soon. You have to raise up that kid to have guts too. Can't have her turn into a little tea-skipping weirdo like your wife," the general stated.

Natsuki rolled her eyes again. "Is there a reason you stayed behind?" she asked, trying her best to sound annoyed. She was actually thankful for Haruka treating her like normal. It helped empower her and reassure her that everything was all right.

Haruka gritted her teeth and growled. "I just…I just…I wanted to thank you…" the words were forced out of her mouth and tasted foul all the way out.

"Thank me?" Natsuki blinked hard. She doubted that Haruka had ever thanked her for anything, not even when the blonde was taking sleep from her over planning Haruka's proposal and trying to help her find a ring.

"Yeah…" The blonde cleared her throat. "You helped me a lot. I really a…a…" Haruka paused and bit her bottom lip. "I appreciate it. I wish you could've seen Yukino's face when I dropped down on one knee and pulled out that ring. My god, she actually cried. Can you believe it? She cried!"

"I can believe it. Shizuru cried a little too. I told you, it's all about you and her. It has nothing to do with me seeing her face. The point is that you saw her face. It's all about you two," Natsuki replied.

"I know, I know. You said that, but I just wanted you to know that I really did appreciate the help. Now, help yourself and get the hell out of that bad," Haruka declared.

Natsuki had to laugh. She was so sure that Haruka misspoke on purpose. No one would seriously say "bad" by accident when they meant to say "bed." It just was not possible.

"I'll be up and about in a couple of days," Natsuki promised. She was getting out of this bed, no matter what.

Haruka nodded and decided to take her leave now, feeling that she had accomplished her mission and embarrassed herself enough for one day. She glanced at Natsuki's parents on the way out and paused. For a moment, she thought that she should not leave Natsuki there with them alone, but she quickly shook that off. These were Natsuki's parents, after all. Besides, Natsuki was tough. So, Haruka continued on her way.

Natsuki glanced over at her parents, but did not say anything to them. She wondered what was going on with them and the Viola family, but she suspected that she would not like it. And she knew that she was going to find out what it was soon since her parents started to approach her.

"Dad, Mom," Natsuki greeted them. She sounded about as happy to see them as she was to find out that she had an infection.

"Natsuki…how are you feeling?" Saeko inquired while Ryo just looked over their daughter. He was glad that Saeko was speaking because he could not figure out what to say. Natsuki had been in the hospital before; all of their children had, but that was always for gashes and broken bones. The injuries tended to be caused by their own childish carelessness too. This was something totally different and he could barely handle the sight.

"Better than I have in a long time," Natsuki answered honestly. It was not really a long time, but it certainly felt like a lifetime.

"That's good, sweetheart," Saeko said and her daughter flinched at that term of endearment. Saeko did not notice and continued speaking. "I'm glad that you're feeling better. I'm sure we'll be able to take you home soon," she commented.

The light bulb went off in Natsuki's head, causing her brain to scream "ah-ha!" as she figured out what her parents did to the Viola family. She frowned, hating that her parents assumed that she was just going to go back to Saxas with them. If only they knew that she had been through worse physically working as an Otome. The only thing that made this incident top the chart was because she was pregnant and did not have her usual physical power to depend on. Tomoe would not have fazed her at all if only she had not been carrying Shinobu. Hell, Tomoe would not have touched her if she had not been pregnant and she was certain of that.

"Mom, what makes you think I'm going to leave?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"Obviously because this place is dangerous. So, we'll gather your things and Shinobu. I'm sure it won't be hard for you to get a divorce. I mean, you're married to a woman, after all. That can't be too legally binding," Saeko rambled.

Ryo nodded and found his voice, feeling that he needed to back up his wife to get their daughter to do the right thing. "Of course. After that, we'll find you a proper husband. Someone that can take care of you and Shinobu. He might have to be a bit older since you have a child now, but I'm sure someone would take you."

"Take me?" Natsuki echoed. They made it sound like she and Shinobu were a burden that only some gracious, elderly gentleman would accept. _Screw them!_

"Take Natsuki where?" Shizuru asked curiously as she entered the room. If anyone aside from Natsuki's parents had been in there, she definitely would have made a dirty joke, but she knew this was serious.

"Baby, my parents are under the odd impression that we're going to get a divorce, I'll be moving back to Saxas, and taking Shinobu with me. Where the hell do you think they got a loopy idea like that?" Natsuki inquired, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

Shizuru shrugged. "Perhaps they would like to explain it," she replied as she went to stand by Natsuki's bedside, opposite of the Kruger royals.

"Look, let's stop beating around the bush on this one," Ryo stated in a hard tone and continued in that voice. "It's quite obvious that this isn't working. Natsuki, you were kidnapped and your so-called spouse couldn't and didn't do anything about it. A man would've protected you and made sure nothing like that happened, especially if you were carrying his baby."

Natsuki glanced at Shizuru, who did not look affected by words. Natsuki, not being quite so good at hiding her emotions, looked quite bewildered. She could not understand the connection of her safety and being with a man. Looking back at Shizuru, green eyes begged for an explanation. Shizuru shrugged; she could not figure it out either.

"Mom, Dad, what the hell are you two going on about? Explain me how the hell being married to a man would've prevented someone from drugging me, tossing me in a car, and working me over in a secluded location for a week?" Natsuki asked, quite seriously curious. The logic just did not compute for her.

"Because he would have been able to stop the person that harmed you!" Ryo proclaimed, as if it was obvious.

"How?" Natsuki asked. "You do realize that Shizuru could have easily done the same, had she been there."

"A man would've made sure you weren't there!" Ryo replied.

"Okay, a man would have made sure I wasn't at my desk, doing my job?" the ebony-haired Otome asked, scratching her head. Her face was scrunched up as she tried to figure out what the fuck her parents believed had happened.

"You were pregnant! There's no need for you to be working while pregnant and a man would've known that!" Ryo roared.

"Okay, you know what, I'm just going to assume that you and Mom were so worried about me that you lost whatever minds that you might have had and that's why you sound so irrational," Natsuki commented. "But, let me set you straight before you get any crazier, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not only staying married to Shizuru, but sometime in the future, she's going to bear my children, as I have bore hers. Shinobu is staying right here with us. I'm going to keep working too. As is Shizuru. Now, you can accept it and move the fuck on or you can keep being assholes about everything," she stated sharply.

"Natsuki," Shizuru scolded her for the language. As if she had not been cursing the Krugers out not too long ago, but of course, her Natsuki need not know that at the moment.

"Sorry, babe, but this shit has gone too far." Emerald eyes focused hard on her parents. "Who do you think you are to come here and dictate my life to me? I've been through an incredible ordeal and the moment I'm able to take a breath without it feeling like my chest is going to cave in, you hit me with this? You tell me what I'm going to do? I don't think so. I'm tired of you pretending that you accept what's going on between me and Shizuru when you think it's really some passing fancy," Natsuki declared with a growl that hurt her throat, but she was not about to show that.

"Natsuki, we gave Shizuru a chance," Saeko started, but her child did not allow her to get any further than that.

"No, you didn't. You were biding your time, waiting for something to go wrong, so you could blame her and try to pull us apart. Why the hell did I think you guys would change? You don't give a shit about an opinion that's different from yours. That's why you so easily married your sons off to fucking shrews, just because you thought that status and bearing meant everything and wouldn't listen to anything different. You don't realize how much this affects people other than you, do you? I hope it's that you don't know and it's not because you don't care," Natsuki said.

"Of course we care!" Saeko shouted.

"You don't show it by doubting every fucking move your children make then! You don't show it by dictating to us when we're all grown and very capable of living our lives on our own!" Natsuki replied, reeling up in her bed just a little.

"Natsuki," Shizuru said, taking her wife's hand and patting it gently. "You need to keep calm. Getting worked up right now isn't good for you."

"I know, I know, but damn it, why is it always like this with you two?" Natsuki demanded from her parents. A squeeze to her hand let her know that she needed to tone it down a little more. Sighing, she tried to settle back down on her pillow, but her parents were upsetting her so much.

"Natsuki, we're trying to look out for you," Ryo argued.

"Like you were trying to look out for my brothers when you married them off to their harpies? You guys have no clue, you know that? You think you know everything, but you don't have a clue and I would appreciate it if you stopped acting like you know more than we do," the Second Column said.

"Natsuki," Saeko started, but she was cut off again.

"No, no, no. Don't even start with your defense because I'm sick of it. I'm going to tell you what you two don't want to acknowledge, only two of your children are happily married—me and Shuichi. The others would rather beat their heads in with hammers than even hold a conversation with their wives. And I hope to all that is holy that you don't think you'll honestly be getting grandchildren out of them. You know as well as I do that none of them even sleep in the same bed as their wives, let alone do anything more. So, do us all a favor and just stop. Come to a full and complete stop and examine what you've done before you make another move," Natsuki calmly ordered. Her parents suspected that this was the voice she used when speaking to students. They were quite incorrect; this was her diplomat voice. It tended to get better results.

Ryo and Saeko were surprised to find themselves speechless and they stepped out of the room. Natsuki turned her attention to her spouse. Shizuru smiled at her, sitting down by the bed and holding onto Natsuki's hand with both of hers.

"Do you think that got through to them?" Shizuru asked. Generally, she would have been opposed to Natsuki speaking to her parents in such a way, but they clearly needed a wakeup call. She hoped that did it.

"Probably. I might have actually been too hard on them, but they pissed me off too. I've come to learn that my parents aren't as hardheaded as we are, me and my brothers I mean. They just don't like admitting when they're wrong. They also don't know how to correct mistakes very well. Most of all, I think they were really shaken up about almost losing me," Natsuki replied. Underneath their words and delivery, she could tell that their demands actually came from the scare of her missing. But, she could not let that be their excuse. They needed to know what they were doing and hopefully it would get them to change.

"They weren't the only ones," Shizuru said, leaning down to kiss her spouse's knuckles.

Natsuki nodded and there was a long moment of silence. "You haven't asked yet."

"I want you to get stronger before I do. Perhaps I want to get strong too. I'm not ready yet. I am really not ready," the older woman confessed in a small voice.

Natsuki nodded again. "That's why I haven't asked."

"Are we going to end up waiting on each other?"

"No. Since it's already been a few days, a few more won't hurt. I'll keep what happened to myself for a couple more days," Natsuki stated. She knew that she should tell everyone what happened, but she could not bring herself to informing everyone before Shizuru was ready to hear what happened. She was aware that was impractical, but she could not stop herself from doing it.

"I'll keep my reaction to things a little longer than that," Shizuru said honestly. She was not sure if she would ever talk about how she reacted. Much of it was an emotional blur for her anyway, but what she did remember, she needed to come to grips with first. Natsuki nodded, able to guess by Shizuru's silence how the older woman reacted to her disappearance.

* * *

Natsuki was not lying about talking about what happened a couple of days later. She was up and walking around by that time. She had even held Shinobu and nearly melted when the child curled into her chest for a little nap. She almost did not want to let Shinobu go, but her body was not up to holding the baby for as long as she wanted to. Shizuru returned Shinobu to her crib while Natsuki pouted as their daughter left her sight.

The principal was now able to stand Shizuru leaving her side and going out of her sight for a while. She felt confident that things were going back to normal and she could put her ordeal behind her. Of course, there was still unfinished business, but she was not going to let the memories and trauma hold her back from living her life.

"Do you think Youko'll let me out of here?" Natsuki asked curiously when her spouse came back into the room. She felt ready to go, but the doctor skirted the issue the last time she brought it up…which was during her check up a few hours ago. She figured Youko was being paranoid now about her since she felt fine…for the most part.

"Probably not. Why?" Shizuru countered.

"I want to discuss the elephant in the room." She would rather discuss Otome business in a conference room.

Shizuru nodded. "I'll just get everyone of import back into your room like we did when we told them Shinobu's name."

"All right," Natsuki agreed with a sigh.

Getting "everyone of import" back to the room was not very hard. It was essentially the same people that were there to hear Shinobu's name with the exception of Miss Maria. They were all pleasantly surprised to see Natsuki up and moving about, even though it was quite tentative movement.

"You look like you're doing pretty good, Natsuki," Mai commented.

Natsuki smiled. "I'm trying. I was hoping that Youko would let me out of here, but I don't think that'll happen anytime soon. But, I wanted everyone here because I know you're curious about what happened to me and I'm ready to talk about it," she announced.

All eyes widened for a moment and Natsuki knew that she had their undivided attention. She felt a little guilty, knowing that she would not be able to say much because she did not recall a lot of what happened. Many details that she did remember would be saved for Shizuru—when she was ready.

"Honestly, I can't tell you guys much. My memory is really fuzzy, mostly due to being drugged most of the time. I don't even remember how I actually got abducted. I remember being taken to a house by two women. One I know was Tomoe because she's the one that kept me prisoner in some cave underground in the desert. For however long she had me, she beat me and drugged me for the most part. But, she also fed me and kept me alive, mostly because she planned to cut Shinobu out of me eventually. I escaped when she fell asleep and my nanomachines had built up enough to give me the strength I needed to get out of there. Mostly, Tomoe got lucky. I was in a position where she could overpower me," Natsuki explained, putting on her commander-voice. It was in that she was able to distance herself from the ordeal enough to discuss it. It was like giving a mission statement.

"Nat-kun, do you remember anything about the other woman? Did she familiar to you?" Shuichi asked curiously.

Natsuki rubbed her forehead. "A little, but a lot of what happened is really fuzzy. I can't remember the face, but the voice was very familiar. I know the accent and it wasn't from around here. It was more like from around Saxas, but a mix of a Saxas accent and the islands to the south of Saxas. I remember what she smelled like too. She had to be wearing jasmine perfume," she answered, trying her best to see the face of the other woman. She just could not make it out in her mind, but she knew that she knew this woman.

Shuichi nodded and glanced over at his brothers. They all nodded too. Natsuki knew that they had a piece of the puzzle that she did not and she would ask about it later.

"Do you know where Miss Marguerite went?" Miss Maria inquired, sounding very business-like. She was more than ready to bring down justice on Tomoe. That girl was definitely more trouble than she was worth.

"Unfortunately, I do not. I will say that Tomoe is very mentally instable. She spoke to me throughout holding me captive and the woman's mind is gone. Between wanting to cut Shinobu out of my stomach and swearing up and down that I stole Shizuru from her, she also ranted and raved about getting out a mental hospital where they were keeping her medicated," Natsuki answered.

"I'll get on the phone right now with her family members again and find out if they've seen her or know where she might be," Miss Maria said, walking off. She had been borderline harassing the Marguerite family and not getting anywhere, but she was going to try as much as she could until they had Tomoe in custody.

"Anything else that you remember, Natsuki? Anything at all would be able to help us," Dante said.

Natsuki scratched her head again. "I know Tomoe was very prepared for this, so she must have been planning it. She had tables upon tables of weapons and tools used to torture me. I doubt she stole all of that stuff," she said.

"There has to be a trail or a lead there somewhere. I will look into it," Chie volunteered and marched away, dragging Aoi with her just to spend some time with her during these chaotic moments.

"Anything else?" Anh gently pressed.

"Hmm…" Natsuki tried to think. "It's really hard to remember anything. I'm sorry, guys. I thought that I would be able to say more, but thinking on it, my mind is so foggy."

"Don't worry about it, Natsuki. You went through a lot and you've also given us a lot," Shizue assured her daughter-in-law. "You rest up. We'll take care of the rest," she promised.

Natsuki nodded and gave her mother-in-law a tired smile. Everyone rushed out of the room, invigorated to continue the hunt for Tomoe. They also wanted to do something about the person they were certain was her partner and now they had a little more to back up their assumptions. They were not going to continue to accept her denials about everything.

Natsuki laid back down, sighing as soon as her head hit the pillow. She reached out for her wife, who stepped over to her. Natsuki pulled Shizuru all the way to her.

"Lay down with me, baby?" Natsuki requested. She needed to hold Shizuru for a little while after thinking about what Tomoe had done to her and what she had planned to do to Shinobu.

Shizuru did not answer. Quickly, she climbed into the bed while being very careful of her spouse. Natsuki curled against Shizuru and felt absolutely, totally, completely safe and secure for the first time in what felt like forever. Little did she know, but Shizuru felt the same exact way. Shizuru placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry for all of this," Natsuki apologized in a low voice.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, beloved. If anything I should be sorry for everything, for not protecting you, and for causing your family so much grief," Shizuru replied.

"Babe, let's not play this game," the principal requested.

Shizuru nodded. "Agreed. Neither of us are responsible for Tomoe's actions."

"Agreed. So, no more apologizing and let's just go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow Youko will let me go home. We could take Shinobu and go back to our lives…as a family," Natsuki whispered, yawning a bit.

Shizuru nodded in agreement and wrapped her arms around Natsuki. She could not wait for she, Natsuki, and Shinobu to go back home. But, first, they needed to take care of Tomoe. Until then, Shizuru decided to just enjoy the feel of her wife safe and relaxed in her arms.

* * *

Next time: they go after Tomoe.


	19. Pressing forward

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

19: Pressing forward

Shizuru lay awake, gently caressing Natsuki's soft, onyx hair. Every now and then, she glanced to her side, checking on Shinobu. Both Natsuki and the baby were in dead sleeps. Shizuru had had the baby and her crib wheeled into the infirmary room not too long ago, wanting her family to be together.

"My family…" Shizuru whispered, moving her hand to Natsuki's cheek. She was so in love with Natsuki, she thought as she caressed her beloved. That love had expanded and evolved when Natsuki agreed to have her baby, but now it had done even more thanks to this ordeal.

She could not put into words what she felt for Natsuki…and their daughter. She knew what some people never had to truly fathom and that was just how much her wife and family meant to her. It gave her a whole new sort of appreciation for them.

Glancing over at Shinobu, she thought about how she had finally understood the concept of love at first sight. Yes, she knew it was totally different in seeing one's child and meeting one's soul-mate, but still. She had never loved someone so completely just from laying eyes on the person. She had never felt so attached to a person just from holding the person. Those feelings made her imagine what it would be like when she and Natsuki had another child.

"I suppose it's too early to think of another child when Shinobu isn't even a week old yet," she muttered and had to resist the urge to coo at the sleeping baby. Their daughter certainly was beautiful. "Our other daughters will be the same…"

Okay, so apparently, she could not help but think of the future. She supposed that was better than dwelling on the past…or what she was going to do to Tomoe the second that she saw that devious, maniacal bitch. Oh, Tomoe was certainly going to rue the day that she decided to harm Natsuki and even conceived the notion of harming their child! She would carve fear into Tomoe while making sure to slowly cut away any "positive" feelings that fool had of her.

Shaking that away before she traveled down that horrible road anymore than she had already, she thought about the Kruger family's future. She and Natsuki planned to have at least one more child. Thanks to Shinobu, she could not really picture what a second child might look like since Shinobu was definitely an amalgamation of the two of them.

For a moment, she did allow the thought of having another child just like Shinobu with mismatched eyes. The next child would have tawny hair with obsidian streaks and pale skin. While the latter was very possible, she doubted the former would happen twice in one lifetime.

Still, she allowed her mind to play with the idea and drum up a fantasy. She could see herself and Natsuki sitting in the backyard of a manor house, much like the one that she grew up in, making it much smaller than Natsuki's childhood home. She doubted Natsuki would mind living in something a little more modest than a palace and she knew that she did not mind.

In the fantasy, she was holding a small bundle, a sleeping newborn. Natsuki was running around the open yard space, being chased by a giggling Shinobu and a barking puppy. Shinobu, who had appeared to be around five years old, tackled Natsuki and they went down in a heap of laughter. The image brought a smile to Shizuru's face.

"I can't wait, Natsuki," Shizuru said, leaning down to place a soft kiss to Natsuki's forehead. Thanks to that fantasy, retiring sounded even better to her ears than it had before. She wanted to get on with her life, with their lives. And that thought was able to keep her feeling at ease for the rest of the night.

* * *

In the morning, Youko came in to check on Natsuki while Shizuru was tending to Shinobu. The checkup was normal and routine. Natsuki then asked the question of the hour.

"Can I go home now?" the principal inquired with a tired plea in her eyes. She was sick of the infirmary, sick of being in bed, and sick of doing nothing. She wanted to at least do nothing some place more comfortable.

"I think one more day, Natsuki," Youko answered.

"Another?" Natsuki huffed, frowning deeply. It seemed like Youko was keeping her there just for the hell of it now. She wanted to go home so badly, to put Shinobu down in her crib in the nursery waiting for her, and to sleep with Shizuru in their own bed once again. It felt like an eternity since she had buried her head in her own pillow.

"Yes, another. You're not completely healthy and I want to continue to monitor your infection. Not mention the wounds on your back and legs. I also don't trust you to take it easy at home," Youko replied honestly. She believed it was best to keep Natsuki in the infirmary for as long as she could before the principal just got fed up and left on her own. It was best because she knew that in the infirmary all Natsuki could do was heal rather than stress her body out further like she would more than likely do on her own.

Natsuki gave her a disturbingly angelic look. "I would totally take it easy!" she blatantly lied.

Youko had to roll her eyes at that, having never heard such a bold face lie before. And she knew Midori, so that said a lot! "Please, the moment you get out that door, you'll be trying to talk Shizuru into letting you eat junk food, getting back to your desk for work, and possibly even thinking about going out on your bike since your brothers are around," the doctor stated.

Natsuki glanced over at her wife, who was definitely looking way too innocent. "Shizuru, do you just tell her all of my secrets?" she inquired incredulously.

"Only the ones important to your health, Natsuki dear. Now, do as the good doctor says," the Third Column replied in a sweet tone. With a smile yet!

Natsuki grumbled something that suspiciously sounded like "always plotting against me," but she was ignored. Shizuru smiled again and turned her attention back to Shinobu. The happy mother noted that Shinobu had Natsuki's appetite. The baby emptied bottles like Natsuki kicked back sandwiches. Shizuru just hoped the child had Natsuki's metabolism too.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru said as Shinobu finished the bottle. She shifted the child so that she could burp the baby.

"Yeah?" Natsuki replied.

"Tomoe…isn't going to stop, is she?" Shizuru asked quietly.

The pale woman shook her head. "Not this time. She's off her loop. But, you shouldn't worry."

"How can you say that? She's already kidnapped you and tortured you. She was planning to steal our baby, for crying out loud!" Shizuru pointed out, hissing a bit to make sure that she did not shout since she was holding the baby.

"She wasn't planning to steal Shinobu from you, baby. She's under the impression that Shinobu was hers and yours. She thought the three of you would be a family. She just needed to get me out of the way."

"Damn it, Natsuki, that doesn't make me feel better!" Shizuru stated, hating how calm her beloved was when talking about Tomoe wanting to destroy her.

"Calm down, babe. You know I don't plan to leave you anytime soon, goddess," Natsuki said with a smile. She was feeling good about herself now. She felt strong and able, especially ready to stand against Tomoe. She refused to let that little twerp win and she would not show any fear of Tomoe or what she had done, not anymore. She was the Second Column, she was the principal of Garderobe, she was Natsuki Kruger and she bowed down to no one…save her wife anyway. She would not let Tomoe have the final say in their interactions together and she would not let their time together dictate her life anymore.

"Natsuki…do you have some sort of plan?" Shizuru asked, recognizing that fire burning in emerald eyes.

"I'm working it out. Once I have it sorted out a bit better, I'll let you in on it," Natsuki informed her spouse. Shizuru nodded and turned her attention back to the baby. Natsuki smiled as she watched her wife and child. No, she certainly was not going to let fear rule her life, especially not fear of Tomoe, not when life was so close to perfect.

* * *

The principal did not take long to formulate her idea on how they would get to Tomoe. It seemed like such a simple, but she knew it would work thanks to Tomoe's mindset. The next time Youko came to check on her, she had more questions. This time, the questions were not about her going home.

"Youko, how are the upgrades to the system going?" Natsuki asked curiously.

Youko's brow furrowed for a moment, not expecting that. "Um…we put everything on pause after you vanished. Why do you ask?"

"I think that we could use it to capture Tomoe. I know she's out there looking for me. I don't want to think about what she might try with Shinobu either," Natsuki replied.

The chief medical officer nodded. "I get what you mean. I'll check on it and give you an update."

"Sounds good," Natsuki said and as Youko was about to leave, she stopped the scientist. "Youko, when this is all over, take a nice long vacation. Spend some time with Midori-san," she remarked with a smile.

Youko did not say anything, but she did wear a smirk as she exited the room. Natsuki turned her attention to Shizuru, who she knew was curious as to what was going on. Natsuki smiled at her.

"Don't look at me like that, you little rascal. Tell me what that was about," Shizuru calmly ordered, going to stand by her wife. She took Natsuki's hand in both of hers, which set her at ease, as it always did.

"We've just been working on upgrades for what the nanomachines would be able to do. We created a new program. We call it 'the mask.' It's something that would require permission to activate and use, but basically it would give the user the ability to appear to be someone else, like wearing a mask," Natsuki explained.

"And when did this new program get put in place and why wasn't I told?" Shizuru inquired, playfully sounding like she was scolding her partner.

"It's just something I was fooling around with. I thought it might come in handy if we were to find ourselves at war like before. It might be handy for some battles or for intelligence gathering. We would have to see, though. Youko and the rest of her science geeks were helping develop it."

Shizuru laughed a bit and arched an eyebrow. "Her science geeks, like you?"

Natsuki puffed out her cheeks as if she was insulted, but she could not dispute that fact. Even when they were students, science and technology had always been her best courses; yes, she was better at those than combat classes. It was embarrassing for her since she was supposed to be a tough biker back then.

"Anyway!" Natsuki said and folded her arms across her chest. "Damn, I should've asked if I could go home. My back doesn't hurt anymore. I'm sure she can give me some medication for the damn infection. It can't be too bad anymore anyway. Nothing hurts too much," she huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

Shizuru chuckled a bit, glad that Natsuki was back to normal. She knew how to remedy the sour mood. Quickly, she retrieved their daughter from her crib and handed the sleeping child to Natsuki. The principal practically melted as soon as Shinobu was secure in her arms.

* * *

Youko sat at her desk, going through a check of the new Mask program since she had a pretty good idea where Natsuki was going with her plan. She also knew that she was going to have to talk Natsuki out of trying anything, but she doubted that would be hard since she knew that she could easily get back up on that. She was so focused on her task that she did not hear her friend come up behind her until Midori was leaning against her.

"You're still here?" Youko asked the obvious.

"Of course. I want to make sure you're okay. You guys seem to have a lot going on here," Midori pointed out, glancing around a little just to make sure there was no activity around them for once.

"A lot is an understatement," Youko remarked with a sigh. "You might be happy to know that I've been given orders to take a vacation and see you once this is all over," she reported with a small smile.

Midori was glad that her friend was not looking at her because her face lit up like fireworks upon hearing that news. She had to clear her throat to make sure that she sounded normal after that. "That's good. Your grandmother will be happy to see you. She'll probably want you to stay with her…" she commented, trying her best to sound casual.

Youko thought that was an odd thing. "I'm sure she will, but I probably won't. You know she and I get on like two starving cats after a few hours of each other's constant company. It's best to break it up."

Midori nodded. "Well…I guess…you know, you could stay with me…" she offered, once again trying to sound casual.

"It's possible. Right now, I want to get this out of the way before making my vacation plans. Are you going to stick around?" the scientist asked curiously.

"I think I can. I just need to check in every now and then. Do you think this will take much longer?"

"Probably not. Natsuki's healthy enough to have gotten a crazy idea. Those tend to work, but they're always crazy," Youko remarked. "She reminds me of a calmer version of you," she added.

Midori was aware that she was being made fun of, but since she could not figure out how, she let it go. Youko turned her attention back to her work. Determination was set in her face, wanting to give Natsuki good news when she saw her again. It would be nice to put this horrible chapter behind all of them as soon as possible.

* * *

Natsuki grinned as she entered her office. She was only there for a meeting and then it was back to her dreadful room in the infirmary, but it was better than nothing. She was glad to be out and walking around. Besides, if she handled this well, Youko promised to let her go home tomorrow. She would not be allowed back at work for at least a week, though. Something told her it would actually be longer than a week, but she decided to wait and see.

Alone for the time being, she went to her desk and ran her hand along the edge of it. She could not recall if she had left it as neat as it was or if Shizuru tidied it up for her. Usually, she was a borderline slob, but not when it came to her desk. Her desk and her office tended to border on immaculate. She flopped down into her chair and tried to remember what she had been doing the day that Tomoe kidnapped her.

A flash went through her mind, but it was disturbed by the opening of her door and chased away by voices as her office filled with people. One of those people was her wife, who made her way over to Natsuki and stood next to the principal's chair.

"So, Natsuki, that horrible mind of yours come up with something or what?" Mai asked, even though she knew the answer to that. Youko had been talking about how their "fearless leader" had one of her brilliant plans.

"I suppose it could be seen as an 'or what.' My first plan has been squashed and killed like a little bug," Natsuki said, glancing at her wife. She had expected things would come to that, but she had thrown it out there that morning, just to see how Shizuru took to it.

"That plan was dangerous for Natsuki," Shizuru replied matter-of-factly. Natsuki knew better than to argue since everyone in the room probably agreed with her concerned spouse.

"Anyway," Natsuki said. "The basic principle of the plan still works. We've recently developed a new operating program for the nanomachines. Getting authorization to use this program allows your Robe to do more than boost strength, fly, and materialize weapons," she informed them.

"What does it do?" Anh asked curiously.

"It's called 'the Mask' and the gist of it is that it allows you to disguise yourself as another person. Your Robe would shift and change your appearance, so that you look like someone else," Natsuki explained.

"You sly dog, I see where you're going with this," Nao said with a devilish smirk. A few people could see where Natsuki was going with her idea now that they knew what they were working with.

"Then how about you let me get there, so everyone else knows where I'm going with it too?" Natsuki suggested, earning an angry snort from the redhead. Internally, Natsuki smiled because it felt good to snap at Nao again. "Tomoe is gunning for me. That much is clear and considering her state of mind, I'm pretty sure she's getting to the point that she'll do anything that she can to get me and end me. To draw her out, I figured that we should just give her what she wants."

"I'm willing to bet in the original plan this actually involved giving her what she wanted," Shuichi commented, glancing over at Shizuru. He could see why she put a stop to that so quickly. His baby sister was just too foolhardy sometimes.

Natsuki waved that off. "Never mind the original plan. The plan now calls for us putting the word out that after my traumatic experience, me and my family are going to stay at the Viola manor. It'll be too much temptation for her. Too many things that she wants in one place," she said.

"Drawing her in is one thing, but keeping her there long enough for us to get her is another thing," Chie pointed out, even though she knew where this was going too.

"That's where our decoys come in," the Second Column stated.

"I am willing and waiting to become a decoy," Anh delightfully volunteered. Her cheery personality earned her a few stares. "Come on, you all know you're curious as to what it's like to be Shizuru," she quipped. While it was true, they were all sure that Anh would use that power in ways that they would not…Shizuru included.

"Anh-onee-sama, you will not disguise yourself as me to pick up women," Shizuru ordered, shaking her finger at the older woman.

The princess feigned innocence. "I would never!" she gasped as if it was unheard of for her to even look at women.

"It's all right, Anh-san. You can be the Shizuru-decoy, but I will tell you this. The second you start playing around with the technology, it will be disarmed and the nanomachines will lose shape, turning back into your plain Robe," Natsuki warned the upbeat female.

"Well, that's no fun," Anh pretended to huff. "Now, who wants to be the Natsuki to my Shizuru?" she asked with a suspiciously wide grin. It was no surprise that she did not get any volunteers. Eventually her eyes drifted to Chie.

"Don't even think about it," Aoi said to both her girlfriend and Anh.

"I wasn't!" Chie promised, holding her hands up in surrender. She definitely did not want to hang around with Anh if the princess had an excuse to paw at her! She liked to do the pawing, after all.

"She's obviously too busy being the Natsuki to Aoi's Shizuru," Nao remarked.

"Way to speak up, Nao! You can be Natsuki," Anh proclaimed, throwing her hands out to the redhead.

"Like hell!" Natsuki and Nao both declared. This earned chuckles from everyone else in the room.

"Nonsense, Nao will be my Natsuki-chan!" Anh grinned, going so far as to clap from her joy.

"Hey!" Once again, the shout came from both Natsuki and Nao.

"Is there an echo in here or is it just me?" Koji remarked.

"We should do this as soon as possible. Once Tomoe is out of the way, we can all enjoy our little niece!" Anh proclaimed with a smile. Everyone was behind that idea and agreed with her, so they rushed out of the office to start spreading the rumor that Natsuki and Shizuru were staying with Shizuru's family.

As soon as the office was empty, Natsuki sighed while Shizuru's hand found Natsuki's shoulder. The principal looked up at her spouse and then suddenly grabbed Shizuru. The older woman yelped as Natsuki yanked her down. Shizuru landed in Natsuki's lap.

"It feels like I haven't been able to do this in forever," Natsuki said, referring to having Shizuru in her lap.

"It's only been six months," Shizuru replied, cuddling into Natsuki form as best she could. She did not want to put too much weight on her still-recovering beloved, after all.

"Feels like forever. I prefer you sitting on my lap to me sitting on yours, even though your lap is very nice."

Shizuru did not say anything. She just reveled in the feeling of sitting in Natsuki's lap again. Secretly, she preferred this too. It was not that she did not like holding Natsuki, but this was familiar and held very delightful memories with it. So, she just held onto Natsuki, knowing that she was going to have the break up the moment in a few minutes because she needed to get Natsuki back to her hospital bed.

* * *

"Are you okay with this? You don't have to do it just because Anh-hime volunteered you," Kenta said to Nao as they walked the halls of Garderobe. It was a ritual of theirs since Natsuki's return. The walking seemed to help them both sort themselves out.

"I'm not going to back down or it'll just give Anh more reason to talk. Besides, the sooner I do this, the sooner life can go back to normal," Nao replied, trying her best to sound annoyed by the whole matter. She folded her arms behind her head, as if that drove home the point that she was more irked than anything else.

Kenta shrugged, not sure how to argue that point. "Tomoe isn't going to be a problem for you, right?"

"Hell, no. She wouldn't have been a problem for that crazy mutt you call a sister if only Natsuki wasn't pregnant and could have used her Robe," Nao replied.

He chuckled a bit and nodded to show that he understood. He also did not take any offense to her referring to his baby sister as a "mutt." He had come to learn she used that in the same manner he and his brothers used "Nat-kun." It was a simple term of endearment used to convey animosity he knew was not really there. She just needed to keep up her front, as Natsuki did also.

Since Natsuki's return, Nao had been by her bedside more than Natsuki's brothers. Kenta had finally figured it out, he believed anyway. By "it," he meant Nao and Natsuki's relationship. Nao was like Natsuki's pesky little sister, who actually adored and admired Natsuki. Of course, Natsuki returned that with big sister annoyance, even though she internally she felt protective and somewhat responsible for Nao. Now, it was quite possible that the two women did not realize that; Shizuru had let him in on that. Nao and Natsuki probably were not even aware that they liked each other, so the idea of having a relationship even beyond that was probably inconceivable to them.

"We'll nail Tomoe with no problem. If anything, we should be worrying about keeping Shizuru from stomping muddle puddles in the girl's stomach once we do catch her," Nao remarked. She imagined that the moment Shizuru saw Tomoe, she would somehow magically spilt the girl open and spill her guts with just her angry gaze.

"That's understandable," Kenta said. He would like to tear out Tomoe's heart and a few other vital organs for all of the pain and misery she caused everyone, so he could only imagine how his dear sister-in-law felt.

Nao nodded. "Too bad the mutt couldn't remember if Sakura had anything to do with her abduction."

"That's not true. She remembered the voice was familiar with a distinct accent and she remembered the smell of jasmine. That's all Sakura wears and her accent is exactly how Natsuki described it. So, that is something," Kenta argued.

"Not much."

"Well, this isn't over yet, so we're bound to get more," he pointed out. "And when this is all over, remind me to take you to dinner."

"You'll have to take me for electro shock after I finish playing Natsuki with Anh as Shizuru," the redhead quipped.

Kenta chuckled a bit and put his arm around Nao's shoulders, causing her to drop her arms for the hold to be more comfortable. She smiled and pressed against him. This was not the first time that they had cuddled up against each other and everyone that saw it thought that they made a cute couple. All except Kenta's parents anyway.

"I'll take you out for whatever you want or need when this is over," Kenta promised. Nao only smiled, knowing that he was telling the truth.

* * *

"Okay," Youko said, speaking to the small group that was going to go along with the principal's plan. Before her stood, Natsuki, Shizuru, the Viola family, the Kruger brothers, Anh, Nao, Yukino and her crew, and Arika.

"Wait," Natsuki said before the scientist even got started. "Before she even tells you how this works, this is not a toy—_Anh_. This is a delicate program and not to be played with—_Anh_. The second you start playing with it, it will be deactivated and the mission will be aborted—_Anh_," she stated soundly.

"But who does she really think will play with it?" Koji remarked, earning a few snickers from those around.

"I would never!" Anh said, throwing her hand to her chest and pretending to be indignant.

"Yeah, right," Natsuki said. Nao actually agreed with the principal by rolling her eyes.

"All right. Basically, the program is very new and at the moment when it's activated, I have to program the appearance of the Otome. The hope is that one day, the Otome will just have to concentrate and the Robe will change without me having to touch the program. But, for now, I will be the one to program it for Anh to appear to be Shizuru and for Nao to appear as Natsuki. There is no time limit to this, so you don't have to feel rushed or obligated. Just play the role and give the other team the chance to capture Tomoe," Youko stated.

"Do we get a practice run? I don't think I can dumb myself down enough for this on the spot," Nao remarked, throwing a teasing smile Natsuki's way.

"I don't think you can grow in time enough for this either," Natsuki shot back.

"Children, children," Shizuru gently chided the two.

"Ara, ara," Anh chimed in, earning a deadpan look from Shizuru. Anh flashed her an innocent smile.

Youko turned her attention to her computer console. She quickly typed in the code for the program. Before Anh and Nao knew what was going on, they felt their GEMs activate and their nanomachines went to work. Suddenly, Anh's form took the shape of Shizuru and Nao transformed into Natsuki.

"Oh! I look just like Shizuru-chan!" Anh cooed with delight, jumping up and down while clapping. She was about to run off, but Shizuru grabbed her by the hand. "What?" the older woman asked with an angelic expression.

"You will not go torment students in my form," Shizuru informed her.

"What? I would never!" Anh said. "Why does everyone think the worst of me?" she pouted, quite exaggerated.

"Anh-hime, this is important. Could you please remain focused?" Shuichi requested. This plan held his little sister's life in the balance, after all. It might also hold his niece's life in the balance.

Anh sighed and pouted more, which disturbed Shizuru since it was her face that was doing the pouting. Anh cooled down at that point, though. Still, she would have preferred to play around as silly antics kept her calmer than acting somber and serious did. Nao did not say anything, but she made sure to look as sour as possible to let everyone know that she was not happy with her role in this little plot.

"That works well," Youko said, referring to the transformation process. Natsuki nodded in agreement and looked rather impressed with their new program. "Should we do a test run and see if you two can pull this off, even though all you really need to do is sit still and look nice?" the scientist suggested.

Anh literally jumped at the chance to act like Shizuru; this charade amused her far too much, they all silently agreed. She grinned and grabbed Nao, pressing their cheeks together. Nao made a very Natsuki-like yelp and tried to pull away. This made everyone else laugh.

"I think they've got the whole Shizuru-Natsuki relationship down," Chie remarked.

"If Anh talks Nao out of her virginity, I would agree," Dante muttered.

"AH!" Natsuki and Nao screamed in horror, in disbelief that he would actually say that. The twin reactions earned more laughs, but it got even funnier as the pair of Natsukis blushed.

"Nao is Natsuki in two seconds flat. Amazing," Kenta commented.

"I am nothing like this idiot dog," Nao huffed, turning her nose up. Natsuki frowned, more from the expression than the words. She did not like how Nao was making her face look.

"Okay, can we just get this thing started? They've already put the word out that Shizuru and I along with Shinobu have retired to the Viola manor house. There have been sightings of Tomoe around the area, although nothing has been confirmed. It does seem that she's lurking about to see if me, Shizuru, and Shinobu are at the house. Let's make that look true," Natsuki said.

"How are we making it seem like we have Shinobu?" Nao asked curiously.

"A plain baby doll. We're going to have the doll wrapped in a heavy blanket," Shizuru answered.

Anh and Nao nodded to show that they understood. The disguises were dropped after that and everyone moved to make things happen. Natsuki and Shizuru remained in the infirmary—just in case, everyone told them. They put up little resistance, surprising everyone.

"My love, when this is all over, we will start looking for our own home," Shizuru said, going to the crib to retrieve their child. Shinobu was still quite the quiet child, only crying—softly—when she had a problem, like being hungry or needing a changing. What the baby mostly did was look around, as if she was amazed by the world.

"Can we discuss that when this is all over? Right now, I just want to focus on the problem at hand," Natsuki answered.

Shizuru nodded, understanding that. She decided not to bother Natsuki with the future since it was the present that was their true concern. So, she silently approached Natsuki, who was sitting on the bed. Shizuru knew that Natsuki was exhausted, having tried to resume her usual leadership role lately even though she was not nearly close to being fully recovered from her ordeal.

"Natsuki, why don't you lie back and you can feed Shinobu?" Shizuru suggested in a soft tone.

The principal nodded and did as suggested. She gave Shinobu the bottle. The child drank heartily and stared at her mother with great interest. Shinobu often stared at both her parents as if they awed her. She never looked at others with the same fascination. Her parents believed this to be strange, but they also thought it was quite interesting. And they thought about how they would be able to enjoy their child's other quirks as soon as they handled Tomoe.

* * *

Next time: the end.


	20. Mixing it up

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

A/N: This chapter is very long and just to show you guys how much I love you, I didn't cut it into two chapters. So, you have one very long final chapter to enjoy!

20: Mixing it up

The Viola manor house was delightfully named the Sinking Stone since legend had it that the whole area was a sinkhole that refused to open up because not even the ground wanted to deal with a family of Violas. Despite the silly name, it was a beautiful and impressive house on equally beautiful and impressive land. It was like an oasis in the desert and everyone that saw it knew that cost a fortune to maintain.

The Violas never revealed how much money went into their home or even the land surrounding it. The small village that sat on the Viola family's land was almost as beautiful as their home, mostly due to an underground river that they were able to exploit and that allowed them to build a true oasis in the desert. But, the natural resource still did not explain why the Viola manor was so grand.

It was the type of house that Nao would like to live in, but at the moment, she felt very out of place there. She liked to think it was because she was disguised as Natsuki for the time being, but she knew that was not it. She could not even tell that she was in disguise. The nanomachine Mask felt like being in her Robe. If she looked in a mirror, she probably would have jumped in surprise to see Natsuki staring back at her.

No, being in this rich house was just unnerving. It felt almost like it was mocking her for some reason. So much so that Nao paced up and down the room, needing to keep moving, as if that would prevent the house from swallowing her whole.

She felt like she did not belong in such a fabulous house. Or at the very least, she should be a maid in it. All those years she spent fantasizing about some place like this and now she realized that she had never come close to the sheer awe-inspiring grandeur that was a noble's home…and this was the home of a mere viscount!

"Calm down, Natsuki-chan," Anh called to Nao. She was sitting comfortably in the corner of the room, reading a book. Glancing up every now and then, she amused herself and watched Nao pace.

"Don't call me that!" Nao barked, much like Natsuki would. Of course, she was not doing it because she disliked the nickname, but that she was annoyed with the situation. More so than anything else, being in the house and witnessing the splendor of a noble's existence was grating on her nerves.

"Honestly, calm down. They'll let us know when the target is close to the house and when we need to be prepared," Anh said in a cool tone, eyes not leaving her book.

Nao snorted heavily through her nose. "I hate being in here and not doing anything," she replied snidely. Really, she hated being surrounded by so much wealth. She felt so…overwhelmed by this and it started to bother her even more as she thought about it more. If she was overwhelmed from being in the house of a count, she hated to think how she would be in the home of a prince—Kenta.

"Is there something else on your mind?" Anh asked, showing that it was quite possible that she had taught Shizuru to be annoyingly observant. Of course, she would never claim such a thing, but she would suggest that she helped hone Shizuru's irksome talent.

"No," Nao lied, glancing away as if that would lead Anh off her track.

"You might as well tell me. We'll be here for a while," the princess pointed out.

Nao sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, fine." She needed to vent and Anh was the only one around. Besides, since Anh looked like Shizuru right now, it would be easier as Shizuru had been the person she had spoken to about Kenta the most. "I don't know if you noticed, but I like spending time with Kenta-kun. You know, the dog's brother," the redhead stated.

"I am well aware of who Kenta is. I am also aware of your relationship with him. What is the problem? You don't like him anymore?" Anh guessed, even though she was certain that was not the problem.

Nao shook her head rather vigorously, not that she meant to do that. "No, no, no. I'm actually taken with him. He's fun and generous with a nice laugh. Hell, spending time with him helped me figure out what Shizuru sees in that knuckleheaded mutt of hers. He's sweet, but a little naïve."

"And?" Anh gently pressed.

"And, he's also a prince. The first time I ever met royalty was at Garderobe while he's been rubbing elbows with elites forever. I have to say, aside from you and the Krugers, I didn't have a great impression of the elite as far as being human goes and I mean that both in a good way and a bad way. Looking around this house, I get the idea of how the other half lives and it blows my mind. If this is the house of a mere count, what kind of house does a prince live?" the younger woman inquired.

Anh chuckled a bit. "I hear the palace in Saxas is quite grand. Shizuru-chan told me it even boasts a giant man-made lake. She sounded somewhat awed by it and she does not impress easily when it comes to this sort of thing. But, you should realize that Kenta is himself, not his home or his lineage. Do you think that Shizuru worried about that when pursuing Natsuki? Of course not."

"But, Shizuru is at least a noble."

Anh waved that remark off. "She's almost the lowest form of noble. She might as well be a miller's daughter to the Krugers. I've seen the way that they look at her. Do you think Natsuki's mother and father make a distinction between you and her? I can assure you, they don't," she informed the redhead.

Nao looked skeptical. "How is that possible?"

"These people are the absolute rulers of a country. Their people believe they were given the right to rule by the gods themselves. They think that they are nearly divine themselves. Anyone that comes into their circle that they did not invite is considered beneath them and fairly worthless. Shizuru was not invited in by them, but by their daughter, who I feel they think couldn't make a good decision even with explicit instructions. I'm sure they feel the same for her brothers considering the fact that all of the brothers save one were forced into marriage," Anh replied.

The redhead nodded. "I guess you make a point."

"From my understanding of things, the parents would like you to feel overwhelmed and slink away. The parents would like all of this to scare you, so you can go away and they can force Kenta to marry someone else after we drag Sakura down to Hell," Anh remarked, a somewhat cruel smile twisting onto her face. She was looking forward to when they caught that bitch in her lies. She had sown way too much misery to go unpunished for much longer.

Nao nodded. "Kenta…I don't think he would go for that. He knows now that he doesn't always have to do what his parents tell him."

"Yes, and I get the impression that he's learned that from you and from his little sister."

Nao smiled a bit. "I suppose…"

"Don't suppose. Talk to him if you're uncomfortable and let him know what's going on in your mind. You'll recall when Natsuki and Shizuru had their trouble a couple of years ago; it was due to lack of communication. Shizuru almost broke because of it. Don't let things come to that with you and Kenta, especially when things don't have to come to that. He'll listen to you, just like Natsuki will listen to Shizuru. Don't let the material things bother you. Worry about the relationship between you and him."

Nao nodded and wanted to say something else, but a voice in her ear halted her. Anh was being contacted also, so she did not add anything to her short speech. Chie was the one speaking to them, letting them know that there was a sighting of the target. They confirmed that communication and moved into place. Well…Anh did not really have to move at all.

Anh put down her book while Nao went to lounge on a long sofa. Nao was made to appear injured and weak, managing to shift her features to look as if she was in pain and uncomfortable. She pulled a thin blanket over her and moved some of the pillows under her head. Anh went into a bag by her feet and pulled out the doll that was to play Shinobu. The doll was wrapped in a thick fleece blanket and Anh cuddled the toy just as she would her "niece."

"You two should talk," Chie suggested to the "couple."

"Ara, ara!" Anh said, making sure to do it very over-the-top. Nao glared at her, but Anh did not stop. "Natsuki's daughter is just like her. All she does is sleep and eat," the older woman declared.

"Hey!" Nao barked, just as Natsuki would have.

Anh giggled a bit. "But, I love her just as much as I love my Natsuki," she stated, winking at the reclining Otome.

"Someone is having way too much fun with this," Chie muttered. "The target has made it passed the manor's front gate. She should be at the house in two minutes. Keep up the conversation in case she stakes out of the place first. It would be best for her to see you acting natural."

"How is Natsuki feeling? Are your wounds better?" Anh asked curiously, sounding almost as concerned as Shizuru would have sounded for her spouse.

Nao grunted. "I'm fine." It was definitely a Natsuki response, but she was doing it more out of annoyance from Anh's almost chipper take on Shizuru.

"Natsuki doesn't have to act so tough for me. Youko-sensei did give us medicine for your wounds," Anh continued.

"I don't need no damn medicine. I'm fine."

Anh chuckled, throwing her head back some. She then turned her attention to the doll in her hands. "Do you hear this? Your momma is acting so tough."

Nao scowled, but made sure to keep up the conversation. The next update informed them that the target was at the window. They both thought that the target was moving rather quickly and it was a bit disturbing. Glancing at each other, their eyes asked, _has she been here before? _They feared that the answer was _yes_.

"Don't try to turn the baby against me," Nao said, trying to catch some sight or sound of their target while keeping the discussion going.

"I would never try such a thing, dearest!" Anh gasped dramatically.

"You're plotting against me right now," Nao insisted.

"Never. I want our daughter to love and cherish her dearest momma."

Nao rolled her eyes. Briefly, she paused as a shiver ran through her. Anh sensed the same thing, spine going rigid for a very quick moment. They shook it off, staying in their roles and pretending to not notice anything. Chie sounded in their ears, letting them know that the target was in the house.

"Yeah, right. You probably want to turn her against me so you have a little sounding board and echo to back you up whenever you want to work me over," Nao huffed, turning her nose up.

"I would never do such a thing, Natsuki. Well…maybe not never," Anh remarked with an angelic smile.

"I'm surrounded by women that want to drive me nuts," Nao muttered, more for herself than for her character. But, she was certainly coming closer to understanding Natsuki, not that she would admit that even to herself.

"We do it out of love," Anh assured her.

Nao rolled her eyes, just as Natsuki would have done. The redhead was starting to understand that dog a little more if Shizuru was anything like Anh was being now. Not that she would ever admit to such a thing.

The conversation was cut short as they were informed that the target was right outside the door. They were on guard, but thought that they would have to keep up the conversation a little more. They did not have that chance, though. A moment after that report, the door burst open and in walked Tomoe. Anh and Nao turned their attention toward the intruder.

Tomoe was frightfully pale with dark rings under her eyes. Her hair was in its usual style, but frayed just the same. Her sea-green hair was limp and her whole body looked drenched; it could have been sweat, water, or just her aura entirely. Her body was hunched over and she seemed bent and crooked for some reason. There was something about her that just seemed angular and off. The look in her eyes reminded them of a wild animal, but turned demonic when she noticed Nao…or Natsuki as she thought she was looking at.

"Tomoe," Nao growled. Honestly, she never liked this girl and she suspected it had to do with the fact that she could tell Tomoe was dangerously crazy. She was now happy for a chance to put her hands on Tomoe and hopefully get her some place where she could not hurt anyone ever again.

"Headmistress," Tomoe snarled, tugging at a strap across her shoulders. The strap was holding a duffle bag that was draped across her back. "I won't let you get away again. I won't let you keep Shizuru-onee-sama away from me!"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Shizuru doesn't want you?" Nao demanded, frowning deeply at her.

"Of course she wants me! She might not be aware of it, but we're going to be a family together!" Tomoe declared, putting her hand to her chest as a creepy smile spread across her face. She then turned her grinning visage to "Shizuru," as if looking for confirmation.

"Ara, ara, I wish someone had informed me," Anh remarked, laughing slightly. She almost rolled her eyes, but held that in.

"Shizuru-onee-sama…" Tomoe whispered the name in sheer awe. Nao wanted to throw up.

"I think you're mistaken, Tomoe-san, to think that I would leave my Natsuki for you. Perhaps, it is time that you move on. Surely there is someone in the world for you that you could love as I love my Natsuki and who would love you as my Natsuki loves me," Anh said, thinking that she might be able to reason with the younger woman. She had not had as much interaction with Tomoe as everyone else had, so she did not know that reasoning was really not an option.

"NO! Shizuru-onee-sama is the only one for me! And you'll realize that as soon as the principal is out of the way," Tomoe proclaimed with a crooked smile, putting her hand to her chest once again.

"I don't like the sound of that," Nao muttered. As much as Natsuki got on her nerves, she was not very much in the mood for Natsuki to be murdered…especially not when she was disguised as the pale woman.

"I do," Tomoe stated and she pulled out a very large machete that had been attached to the bag on her back.

"Holy fuck," Nao mumbled as Tomoe just displayed the weapon as if it was a normal thing to do.

"I'll chop you up into little pieces and burn you from the memory of Shizuru-onee-sama!" Tomoe hollered, raising the weapon high over her head and charging at Nao.

Nao leaped out of the way with a loud yelp as Tomoe brought the blade down on the couch. The weapon tore through the sofa with ease just before Chie came in through a window, tackling Tomoe to the ground. The green-haired woman was not sure what was going on when she hit the ground. Arika charged in right after, disarming the woman while Chie held her down. Tomoe screamed and snarled, trying to get the Otome off her, but found it to be impossible.

"Make sure you remember how easily you were just taken down. I have you pinned here with no problem and could do this all day. Natsuki-san could do it just as easily," Chie commented with a smug smirk. She knew that Tomoe had to be out of her mind to think that she could take on a Column with a machete.

"I'll kill her! I'll kill her and take Shizuru-onee-sama back!" Tomoe declared, spit flying from her mouth as she tried to twist and turn in Chie's grip, hoping to get back at "Natsuki" and to destroy her.

"Take Shizuru-onee-sama back?" Arika echoed as she stripped the bag off of the villain. She did not have time to ponder what that might mean as she took it upon herself to see what Tomoe was carrying around. A gasp escaped her as she opened the bag, seeing that Tomoe essentially carrying around a murder kit complete with a hack saw, plastic garbage bags, and duct tape. "Oh my… Chie-san, tie her up, bind her somehow right now as tightly as possible. Make sure she can't move at all," the younger woman ordered.

Chie did not say anything due to the tremble in Arika's voice. She just made sure that Tomoe was locked up tight, bound in straitjacket as well as several arm and leg restraints. Tomoe growled and screamed the whole time until Chie actually gagged her. Haruka came in, charged with holding onto Tomoe. Haruka took the job very seriously and almost broke Tomoe's arm as she held onto the younger woman.

Chie and Nao went to see what had Arika so spooked. The contents of the bag shocked them and their eyes appeared ready to fall out of their skulls from the sight. Beyond the saw, the bags, and duct tape, there was a line of barbed wire, a spiked ball gag, metal restraints, and several vials that they suspected were drugs. Obviously, Tomoe had sinister plans for their dear principal.

Tomoe twisted and screamed, her shouts muffled by the gag. Her face turned bright red, but her movement ceased when Haruka applied a little pressure. At that point, Haruka was sure that she had snapped Tomoe's arm, but by now she did not care. Anyone that had harmed a pregnant woman and could have hurt an unborn baby deserved some bumps and bruises in her opinion.

"We need to get her out of here now before I do have to break a few more things," the blonde informed her comrades.

They agreed and left on that note. No one even bothered to ask what Haruka had already broken. They honestly did not care if the General broke every bone in Tomoe's body at that point. Anh and Nao stuck around and dropped themselves on the nearest seats. They glanced at each other.

"That girl was crazy!" Anh said in disbelief. In all of her days, while she had faced many foes, she had never come across someone as psychotic as Tomoe.

Nao nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I didn't know she was that crazy. I mean, I knew she was dangerous, but I didn't know she was torturous, murderous dangerous. Did you see the things that she had in that bag? If she got her hands on the mutt, it would have been lights out. Good thing that dog can use her Robe again, just in case," she replied.

"I wonder what made her go that crazy," Anh said, sounding confused for the only time that Nao had ever heard her speak. She put her finger to her chin, trying to figure out what could make a person lose her mind as Tomoe had.

"Obsession. She's obsessed with Shizuru and she doesn't know how to let go. She's basically talked herself into believing her fantasy and has only made herself worse. Don't try to wrap your mind around it." The redhead dismissed it all with a wave of her hand. She was not looking to analyze Tomoe because really she did not care about the younger woman. She was just glad Tomoe was caught.

Anh nodded and she sighed. "You know, if Shizuru-chan had told me about this, I wouldn't have believed it. That girl really is dangerous and insane."

So dangerous and insane that everyone knew they had to figure out a way to keep her off of the streets permanently. It was not so much that she was a murderous threat, especially to Natsuki, but that they were not sure what she would do if she got some other obsession. There was no telling what Tomoe might do if she thought some other person stood in the way of her goals. She had tortured and drugged Natsuki for a week while she was pregnant, after all, purposely keeping Natsuki alive for her own sick pleasure. If she thought some other person stood her way, someone not an Otome, it would be even worse.

For the time being, Tomoe was locked in the most secure cell that Queen Mashiro could offer. She was also put under twenty-four hour surveillance in a room with one small window was well out of her reach and it opened to a courtyard that was also under surveillance. She was put in a reinforced straitjacket, which was tethered to the wall by steel wires. She spent her time screaming, crying, and rolling around on the floor as best she could. As pathetic as it was, no one really cared what she did as long as she stayed put.

Now, everyone wondered what to do with Tomoe. They knew that they wanted to question her, but they were not sure who should do it. As much as Natsuki wanted to do it, they knew that she would not be able to do it. While that debate went on, Kenta decided to visit his wife. Sakura was still on house arrest in a room in the infirmary.

"You know, we have the woman that kidnapped and tortured Natsuki," Kenta informed the woman, who pretended that he was not even there.

"What does that have to do with me?" Sakura demanded, after a few seconds of silence. She kept her eyes off of him, but he was certain that he could see a touch of anxiety there. It looked like she had a slight quiver in her chin too. She was scared.

"You know she's going to give you up eventually. She's not stable and she's not trustworthy. Who knows what she might blame on you and we'll believe her because you've been doing nothing but lie to us since you got here. Why not just admit to what you did and maybe things will work out better?" he suggested. Of course, that was a lie. Nothing was going to work out for his wife. They were going to get her eventually and she was going to live the rest of her life regretting trying to cross a Kruger.

"I didn't do anything," she insisted. She was still unable to meet his eyes. She was not sure what to do now. She considered that he might be bluffing. He was trying to trick her into thinking that they had Tomoe, so she figured that she better stick to her story of not knowing anything. But, if they did have Tomoe, she knew that she needed to think of something else as soon as possible. Denial was not going to serve her well if they found out what she had done.

She had been insisting that she did not know do anything for so long that Kenta was almost ready to believe her, but he recalled just how devious she could be. The fact that she would not look him in the eye spoke volumes too. She was so guilty that she could not even hide it, he believed. Her eyes were screaming her involvement and he could see it. Now, if only she would admit it. Sighing, he shook his head and just gave up. He left the room and returned to Nao's side. She was out of her Mask and glad to see her own face reflect in his eyes.

"Did she say anything?" Nao asked curiously.

"She keeps denying it. Lying bitch. She knows she did something to help Tomoe get Natsuki," Kenta growled, making a tight, angry fist.

Nao gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze to calm him down. "Don't worry, Kenta. This is almost over. Shizuru is going to question Tomoe."

Kenta blinked in surprise. "Shizuru?"

Nao nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, it was agreed that she would get the first crack at Tomoe. Everyone thinks that she'll get information from Tomoe and she's agreed to not kill her. After that, they're probably going to keep Tomoe in that cell. Mashiro has the authority to do so since it's suspected that Tomoe kidnapped Natsuki outside of the school grounds. Once we find out the whole story, she might actually be kept here if it's found out that she actually committed the act on school grounds."

Kenta's brow wrinkled. "How does that work?" he asked in confusion.

"This is international land, even though it's located in Windbloom. Garderobe is like its own country. We have rules and consequences just like anywhere else. Although I don't think we've ever had to worry about a crime being committed directly against a single staff member like this," the redhead answered.

Kenta nodded to show that he understood. He was a bit worried about Shizuru questioning Tomoe. He had seen many sides of his sister-in-law since Natsuki's disappearance and he was not sure if she could handle the awesome responsibility of questioning Tomoe without brutally harming her. He decided to wait and see what would happen.

This is what most everyone had to do. Days went by with Shizuru questioning Tomoe. No one was surprised that Tomoe bore her soul to her dear Shizuru-onee-sama. Shizuru did not even have to touch her to get her to talk. Surprisingly enough, Shizuru had been soft-spoken and gentle with Tomoe. No one thought that Shizuru had the self-control left in her.

Honestly, as much as Shizuru wanted to finish what Haruka started—breaking every bone in Tomoe's body—she knew it would not get her anywhere. They needed information on how Tomoe was able to grab Natsuki and what she did to Natsuki. She needed to know specifically what drugs Tomoe had used on Natsuki, so Youko could keep an eye out for traces inside of Natsuki and traces inside Shinobu. No one doubted Shizuru's strength during these moments. They were awed by her ability to be in a confined space with someone that put her and her family through Hell on Earth for two weeks.

Of course, Shizuru did not come away from the meetings with complete purity. She played some of her best psychological games with Tomoe and truthfully, they knew that Shizuru messed Tomoe's mind just enough that the green-haired woman was going to ponder what was said to her for a long time before it eventually broke her. Shizuru had done that on purpose. No one was going to mess with her family and not take some sort of punishment for her. In the long run, she knew that she destroyed Tomoe. When that mental time bomb she left went off, Tomoe would crumble and Shizuru would never think twice about it.

After all of the questioning, Shizuru called a meeting and they all watched Tomoe's confession on video. This included her stating how Sakura helped her by putting a drug in Natsuki's tea on the day that the principal was kidnapped. Natsuki was not present for the meeting because Shizuru did not want her to have to relive the torment; everyone agreed with that, especially now that they had watched the hours of video.

"I knew it!" Kenta snarled, punching at the conference table in front of him and climbing to his feet.

"Is that person still here?" Haruka demanded to know, punching her fist into her palm. She was going to beat the truth out of "that person" when she got her hands on her. Yes, she refused to even refer to a snake like Sakura by name.

"Calm down, calm down," Youko urged everyone. "Sakura is still being held in the infirmary."

"I guess this would be the best time to add my own report to this," Koji said, leaning forward to rest his elbow on the table.

"And mine," Hiroshi added in, leaning back to rest his hands in his lap.

"Your own report?" their father inquired curiously from the opposite end of the room. He and Saeko, even though they attended all meetings, always kept their distance.

Koji nodded. "Natsuki wanted us to dig around about Sakura's recent activity. She's been a busy girl," he informed them. "And by busy I mean she's been planning to destroy us all."

"What are you going on about?" Ryo demanded to know.

"Dad, Sakura's been plotting a coup of not just our country, but her own for quite a while. She's got a small army backing her, not to mention a backup husband waiting in the wings when it's all said and done," Hiroshi replied.

"We even have reason to suspect that she leaked information to Kenta as an attempt to make him seem erratic and like he was losing his grip on reality. I fear she might have had plans to harm him in someway once she got control of the country," Koji added in.

"This is why you ran off, isn't it, Kenta?" Hayate asked, turning his attention to the youngest brother.

Kenta nodded. "Well, I didn't know all the details, but I knew enough to know this was trouble. I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't sure how to explain this to Dad, especially when I didn't have anything to back it up. I would've felt like a major jackass if Dad and Mom didn't believe me," he answered.

"If we didn't believe you?" Saeko echoed incredulously.

"Yeah," Kenta said as if it was obviously. Of course, for the brothers, it was. "You and Dad have this way of making us feel like everything we say to you is a lie. Or if not an outright lie, then an exaggeration of the truth. Even if you believed me, I know you would've asked for proof, which I didn't have until now and she was looking to start this shit soon. The best I could do was leave since I was such an important piece of the plan. Or at least led to believe I was an important piece to the plan. I don't even know anymore since it sounds like she was going to get remarried when it was all said and I done. I figured leaving was the best thing to do. It would at least stall her. Ran here and caused Natsuki and Shizuru all this trouble."

"It wasn't your fault," Nao assured him, gently patting his knee.

"I got Natsuki involved in this by coming here and by letting her run interference," Kenta grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Hey, Kenta, we're bros. That's what bros do, even the little ones," Hayate pointed out, giving his younger brother a reassuring smile.

"We have each other's back. Nat-kun had your back and you had her back. It's that simple," Shuichi replied.

"Okay, now, what's this about Sakura plotting a coup?" Ryo inquired, just to be sure he was hearing correctly and wanting to know all the details now.

"My whole report and backup is here," Koji said, pulling out a small disk from his pocket. Hiroshi did the same.

"And this is mine," Hiroshi added. "You can review it all you want, but the facts are pretty clear. Sakura was going to overthrow both her brother and you. She was going to use Kenta as her puppet King since we all know how hard that reign is to control when there's a woman in charge. But, that was only going to be temporary until she married her new pet and I believe one your favorite generals, Dad."

"I can't believe it…" Ryo muttered, taking the disks from his sons.

"It's all there if you still can't believe it. Quite the ambitious little wench and very forward thinking as far as plans go. She was already trying to make Kenta look bad before things got underway. She knew he would run and she would come find him like the good little princess, bringing the crazy prince back from the barbarians. People would have loved her for this and it would have made things so easy," Koji huffed, an angry snarl tugging at his whole face.

His other brothers shared his expression. It was hard to believe that Sakura had thought so far ahead and played Kenta so thoroughly. The people of Saxas certainly would have loved her if she brought back their beloved prince from the barbarian outsiders. It would have made taking over and ruling so much smoother for her, even as a woman. She would have let Kenta sit there and look pretty for a while, but it would have been temporary. Getting him out of the way and marrying a favorite general would have been the next step and so would have ended the Kruger dynasty.

"Sakura almost managed to erase our family's legacy," Hayate realized, sounding a little impressed. Considering how long their family had reigned, it was a bit impressive that she had come so close to ending it. They had not had a close call like that in some generations.

Koji was not as impressed and continued on speaking to his father. "Hiroshi has already contacted her brother and the information was delivered to him. He'll be waiting to hear from you. I believe he would like you to return his sister to him. He doesn't mind the idea of trying her in Saxas, but he would like her returned to him as soon as it's possible. They have much to…discuss," the second son commented. He imagined that discussion included confinement in a cloister for the rest of her life, which he had no problem with. Hopefully once there her only companions would be rats and a cold, bracing wind in a damp, dark cell.

Ryo nodded. "It seems responsible."

None of the Otome spoke up, but they were going to eventually have to inform Ryo that they had charges to bring Sakura up on too. She had poisoned Natsuki on school grounds after all. No one said anything, though, knowing that the call was up to Natsuki, who would have to be bought up to speed on what was going on.

"How long have you two been looking into this?" Saeko asked in disbelief. She felt like the world had been flipped upside down. It was not so much that she liked her daughter-in-law, but she never thought that any of them would scheme like this. They had all been chosen for their high-rank and also for their understanding of their rank. She never expected one of them to think that they could control the country. Hell, she did not even assume that power and Ryo trusted her with more duties than she liked!

Koji shrugged and turned to Hiroshi, who answered. "I guess a couple of months. A little less than that. Around the time Kenta disappeared and reappeared here."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Ryo demanded.

"Tell you what? 'Hey, we think that maybe possibly Sakura's planning something that we don't know what'?" Koji countered.

"Kenta, you knew the most about this," Ryo said, turning to the youngest son.

"We've already gone over that I wasn't going to you without proof. Besides, I didn't know the most about this. Listening to Koji and Hiroshi lets me know that I barely knew anything and what I did know Sakura purposely fed to me. My word against hers wouldn't have gotten us anywhere. Hell, with the way you guys act sometimes I'm halfway sure you would've believed her over me anyway!" Kenta shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Not like you trust us in any way, shape, or form! Hell, you don't even trust us to pick careers as adults! Shuichi and Natsuki both had to stay away from Saxas to have those! They had to stay away from Saxas to have lives! What do we have?" Kenta asked, motioning to brothers two through four. "Nothing! You tell us where to live, who to marry, and where to go! Did it ever occur to you that the reason you don't see Shuichi-onii-san and Nat-kun more is because you try to do the same when they visit? They don't have time for that bullshit! They're adults and they live their lives as such! We'd like a shot at that too, you know!"

Ryo and Saeko were shocked into silence, as was the rest of the room. Everyone silently decided that was enough meeting for today and began to file out of the room. Ryo and Saeko stood behind for a moment, watching Kenta's back as Nao leaned over, hand on his thigh and rubbed his back to comfort him. The royal couple turned away and left the room.

"How're you feeling?' Nao asked in a whisper.

"Better, despite learning that Sakura was probably going to kill me. I feel a whole lot better," Kenta answered. "That felt good. Really good."

Nao nodded. "I'm sure that was building for a while. What would you do if you could live your life how you want?"

Kenta smiled as the answer came in an instant. "Date you and fly airplanes."

"You answered that pretty quickly."

"I know what I want and I'm a man of simple pleasures. I like you, Nao-san. I like being around you, I like spending time with you, I like the way you make me feel and the way you treat me. I like the way you don't make it a point to piss my brothers off. Hell, I even like the way you get along with Natsuki. If it was possible, would you date me?" he asked curiously.

Nao glanced away before deciding to be truth. She nodded. "I think I would like that. I like you too, Kenta. I like everything about you, including the fact that you are quite simple," she teased him before continuing. "I really like how you try to make me feel special. It's not like you're out for something that I can do for you and I know you're not trying to use me in someway. I always can tell that you just like being around me. I would love to date you," she confessed. "But, you know we can't do much, right? I never thought I would say this, but I like being an Otome and I think I want to keep it up for a while. Besides, I can't let the place lose three Columns all around the same time."

Kenta smiled. "I'm not looking to rush anything, Nao. As I said, I'm a man of simple pleasures. We don't need to worry about that. I'll be honest with you, I've figured out how to go without for a long time now. So, it's really not something that should come up anytime soon. Let's just take it easy."

"Are we really going to date?" she asked, almost as if she could not believe it. Really, it was a shock to her system that a prince wanted to be with her. It was like her dreams were coming true, but it went way beyond that. She never imagined that she would find a wealthy man that she honesty liked and who liked her in return.

"If you want to. I don't care what my parents have to say about it. I'm ready to start living my own life and not let them tell me what to do," Kenta stated proudly, puffing out his chest a little.

Nao smiled brightly and was very honest. "I would like to date then, Kenta. I'm going to tell you right now, I might be a little overwhelmed at first since you're a prince, but I want to try. I really do like you."

"And I like you and to me that's all that should matter," he declared. This got an even bigger smile out of Nao.

* * *

After reviewing the information from Koji and Hiroshi, Ryo decided to have a conference with Sakura's brother. It was agreed that Sakura would be tried in Saxas for her crimes against the Kruger royal family and then she would be sent back to her brother. He would punish her, more than likely with house arrest for the rest of her life. Her brother actually hinted at a harsher sentence, but would not come right out and say it. This made Ryo wonder how much and what exact information his sons had uncovered about Sakura.

Sakura's brother also agreed to divorce proceedings; in fact, he suggested it. Ryo had to agree; it was the only thing that made sense. They agreed to discuss other business soon enough, making it seem like her brother hoped to marry Kenta off to another relative. Ryo doubted that would be possible, but he would wait to see what the neighboring ruler wished to do.

It was Sakura's brother who also pointed out that Garderobe probably had some say in what was going to happen to Sakura. Ryo had conceded that point and Natsuki was contacted to let her know of the deal between him and Sakura's brother. Natsuki decided to speak with the brother personally and privately. Whatever they discussed ended with Natsuki agreeing that Sakura could be tried for her crimes at Garderobe, but no matter what, she would be sent back to her brother. Ryo suspected that Natsuki knew more about the punishment Sakura's brother had planned than he did, but he decided against asking. It was good enough for him that Sakura would be punished.

Queen Mashiro dropped any charges Windbloom could have brought against Sakura. Mashiro wanted to deal with Tomoe more than anyone else. She also made to understand by Natsuki that Sakura would certainly get what she deserved.

With Sakura out of the way, Ryo had to take a moment to reflect on everything that happened. First and foremost, Natsuki was now a mother. The mother of a darling little girl, who apparently was also the blood-daughter of Shizuru Viola. It was beyond him to comprehend it, but it was apparently the truth. That changed things. He turned his attention to Saeko, who was reclining on a sofa in their room in Garderobe and holding her head.

"How are you holding on, sweetheart?" Ryo inquired, moving from his seat at the desk to her space.

"Everything seems surreal. It's as if we're in a parallel universe and everything is all wrong," Saeko pointed out, moving so that he could take a seat.

The king quickly moved to the area that she gave up. "You're right about," he agreed, wrapping his arms around her. "But, I think that things have turned out rather well considering what could have happened," he confessed.

Emerald eyes regarded him as if he has lost his mind. "Turned out well? Our daughter-in-law is a traitor! She planned to kill all of us in time and take not just Saxas, but her home country as well."

"But, she didn't."

"She helped set up our daughter to be kidnapped and tortured all just to try to find Kenta, only because she wanted to seem like a hero and use it later on to make him seem crazy," she continued on.

"That was rather terrible. Seeing Natsuki so ill in that hospital bed was the worst. It was nothing like when she was little and broke a bone from following the boys. But, I was able to take something away from even that," he said.

She curled into his body and looked at him curiously. "What?"

"The Viola girl. She cares for Natsuki so much more than we have ever given her credit for. She stayed with Natsuki the whole time and whenever Natsuki woke up, the only person she wanted was Shizuru. As if she thought that Shizuru would make things all right. They obviously care for each other."

Saeko grunted in a rather unladylike manner. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I think they do love each other, like a married couple should. I also think they complete each other. I'm not sure how it works, but it does. And they have a baby together. I haven't seen prouder parents than when Shuichi and Nadia had their boys."

Saeko was silent for a while. "Little hime is a beautiful child. I hope that the way she was conceived doesn't harm her as she grows."

"I think they know what they're doing around here, Saeko. I think Natsuki and Shizuru would not have gone through with this if it meant their child would be in danger for the rest of her life. They both obviously love her dearly. Saeko, we have to face it, this is Natsuki's life and this is her family. We can't keep on as we have been," he stated what was on his mind very plainly. After what Kenta said, it was clear that something had to give and he believed that something was he and Saeko. Their supreme reign had gone on long enough over their family.

"What should we do?" she asked in a small voice. This was all new to her.

"They were right. They're grown. We have to let them be grown. We have to accept the choices they make. Yes, we might not agree and we might speak out, but we can't force anymore. We have to let go."

Saeko whimpered. "But, I don't want to lose them…"

"We won't lose them. In fact, we would gain so much more. We would see Shuichi and our grandsons more often. Imagine seeing Natsuki and the new little hime-chan more often? Holding tight has actually pushed them away. We have to let them go to hold on," he reasoned.

"It sounds so contradictory."

"I know it does, but I think that's what will work best. We can't overlook that we had parts in this whole mess. We forced Kenta to marry a woman that we barley like just for the alliance. We've played him and our other children so poorly that he couldn't come to us in his time of need and Natsuki would not come to us either when he showed up. When we showed up, instead of consoling Shizuru, we antagonized her and undoubtedly made things worse for her. I mean, my god, her wife and child were missing and apparently tortured and we were yelling at her. This isn't going to endear Natsuki to us."

Saeko nodded and sighed. "I suppose that was poor behavior on my part. I was just so worried. I would like to think a man would taken care of Natsuki, but I know it's just wishful thinking on my part. But, I still somewhat blame Shizuru for losing Natsuki."

"Shizuru has her own burden to bear and we've seen that. Natsuki doesn't blame her, though. You must learn forgiveness, Saeko. We've missed much of our only daughter's life because she couldn't even trust us to know she was seeing a woman. This was actually a repeat of what happened with Shuichi, who stayed away for years when he started seeing Nadia and only returned once he was married to her to make sure we couldn't intervene. We should have learned then. We have to learn now," he insisted. They could no longer keep making the same mistakes and then pretend that they were the right ones.

Saeko sighed again, but she nodded. He made a point. In fact, he made a huge point. All she wanted to do was keep their family close and keep her children safe, but it was clear that everything she was doing hurt that cause more than helped it. It was time for a change, especially to make sure she got to spend time with her grandchildren. She then looked up at her husband and smiled.

"Since when did you suddenly became wise?" she teased him.

He chuckled. "A very late inheritance from my father. It takes a while to kick in," he remarked.

"Oh, so this means one day our children will actually grow out of their goofiness and become wise."

Ryo gave her a lopsided grin. "You saying I'm finally not goofy too?" he quipped.

She smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I still prefer you goofy," she assured him. Of course, she was just about the only person on the planet that knew he still had a slightly goofy side to him.

* * *

Tomoe was left in the cell that she had been placed in inside of Mashiro's palace. They merely added to it to make sure that she remained there. The cell would always be monitored and there would be guards around her all the time. Her cell was hooked up with censors that would alert Garderobe and any nearby Otome if she managed to get out. But, beyond that, they would try to help her, giving her access to doctors and whatever they recommended as long as it did not involve her leaving.

Her family was even alerted. For the moment, there were negotiations being discussed on visiting and bringing Tomoe things to make her comfortable. Her family was not fighting very hard for those things, but seemed to just be trying to figure out what to do with her. They seemed fearful of her, everyone involved noted. It was a strange mix.

On one hand, yes, Tomoe's family seemed to fear her, but they also seemed to want to help her, but in a hesitate manner. It was suspected that Tomoe had probably harmed or threatened her family members at one point in time and they now knew just how dangerous she was. They were probably being cautious in helping her, just in case if she ever did escape, she would not have cause to come after them.

Honestly, Garderobe, Mashiro, and the others could care less about what Tomoe's family planned to do. They were more concerned with making sure that Tomoe was never a threat again. Ideas and brainstorming on her would be constant until some conclusion was reached. Of course, no one knew about the little gift that Shizuru left her with. The little psychological gem that Shizuru was so certain would break Tomoe. Maybe not that day or the next day, but eventually Tomoe would figure out just what Shizuru did and she would shatter like a bag of glass. Shizuru did not care if someone picked up the pieces or not.

Slowly, things went back to normal or arranged themselves into something that might have been normal. Kenta was granted a swift divorce and he decided to stay in Windbloom. He was stunned that his parents did not give him any grief over that. His brothers congratulated him over it. Shuichi went so far as to offer him advice on what to do with "that pretty little redhead." Kenta only laughed…well, and he blushed too.

* * *

Natsuki sighed as she leaned back against the couch. Shizuru sat down next to her, Shinobu in her arms. The small family cuddled close to each other, ready to spent some together now that everything had settled down. They got peace and quiet for all of two minutes before a knocking on their apartment door disturbed them.

"I'll get it, sweetheart," Shizuru said, passing the baby to her spouse.

"Okay," Natsuki agreed, happy for an excuse to hold Shinobu.

Natsuki cooed down at their daughter, who was pleasantly sucking on the edge of her blanket. Try as they might, Shinobu still refused a pacifier, but almost anything else was fair game to put in her mouth. Her mismatched eyes focused on her mother and she blinked several times, as if trying to figure out what to make of Natsuki. The proud parent could only smile more.

"You are so precious, little one," Natsuki whispered, caressing her daughter's cheek and earning a laugh from the child. Natsuki was certain that she would forever be enthralled by the tiny life she created with Shizuru…even years down the road when she would no longer be so tiny.

"Natsuki, we have visitors," Shizuru called to her wife, walking back to the living room with Ryo and Saeko behind her.

Natsuki frowned when she noticed her parents. "So we do…"

"They wish to speak with us," Shizuru said. She then turned her attention to the royal couple. "Please, sit down," she suggested, motioning to the loveseat. The couple took a seat and Shizuru went back to her spot next to Natsuki. She was not surprised that she did not get the baby back.

"What can we do for you, Mom, Dad?" Natsuki inquired, doing her best to sound welcoming, but failing miserable. Her parents had not been very endearing since they arrived at Garderobe and she knew that. Everyone would feel much better when the Saxas Royal couple left, herself included. She was certain that eventually they were going to start "suggesting" that she leave with them and take Shinobu with her.

"We wanted to see you before we left," Saeko answered.

"Well, you've seen us. Unless you have something more to go on, I think your work here is done," the principal pointed out.

"Natsuki," Shizuru scolded her wife for her rudeness.

"Sorry. Fine, Mom, Dad, what can we do for you?" Natsuki asked again, looking directly at her parents. She sounded a bit more polite there, but it was obviously forced from the fact that Shizuru was glaring at her to make her behave.

"Natsuki, Shizuru…we wanted to apologize to you," Ryo answered, his tone was actually humble. The sound caused Natsuki to blink because she had never heard that tone before from her father.

"Apologize?' Natsuki echoed as if she did not know what the word meant. She had never heard it from her parents.

"We're sorry for all of the trouble that we've caused you. We're especially sorry for suggesting that a man would have taken better care of you, Natsuki," Saeko said. She even sounded sincere.

"Where's this coming from?" the Second Column inquired, sounding as confused as she felt. She looked back and forth between her parents, trying to figure out if they were aliens or something.

"You don't trust us. You and your brothers don't trust us!" Saeko pointed out.

"Just returning the favor…?" Natsuki said, more like a guess than anything. "It's not so much that we don't trust you. We don't trust your reactions. We know you mean well, but you also have a habit of screwing us over because you don't listen to us. You treat us as if our opinions or decisions aren't valid."

Both parents nodded. "We don't want our relationship with you or your brothers to come to the point where you don't feel safe telling us anything and you avoid us to keep us from finding out things about your lives," Ryo informed her. "We should've woken up back when you got married and Shizuru's parents told us how scared you were to tell us you were dating a woman. You kept that a secret for over ten years. Hell, we shouldn't have even gotten to that point with you since we should have learned from what happened with Shuichi. Instead, we continued on and now because we put your backs against the wall, you were all withholding information from us. Family shouldn't be that way."

"We don't want our family to be that way anymore," Saeko added in.

"Then you have to work at it. You have to talk to us and listen, really listen. You can't keep dictating to us. We're all adults here and capable of talking things out. You have to remember that," Natsuki urged them.

"We're going to try," Ryo assured her. "It never occurred to us that our interactions were what kept you and Shuichi away for so long."

Natsuki's face fell into a deadpan. "This shit seriously never crossed your mind?"

"Natsuki," Shizuru chided her spouse. "No swearing in front of Shinobu. We've been over this already."

Natsuki pouted, looking thoroughly chastised. "Sorry, but can you believe this stuff?"

"Sweetheart, instead of scolding your parents, why not try talking with them as you just suggested?"

Natsuki frowned and huffed, but silently agreed with her wife. Shizuru smiled, well aware that she won that battle. Natsuki turned her attention back to her parents.

"Fine. Let's all just agree that this is our new start. Not just between you and me, but between the whole family, new members and all," Natsuki said, putting her arm around Shizuru.

Ryo and Saeko both nodded and vowed to be better than what they were. After that promise, they actually held their only granddaughter for the first time. Saeko cried tears of joy, which made Shizuru cry a little. Natsuki just hugged her spouse around the shoulders, certain that this was the beginning of a bright future.

* * *

The end.

An epilogue will be along shortly.


	21. Epilogue: To the future

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

Epilogue: To the future

Natsuki lightly bounced Shinobu in her arms while waiting for the ceremony to start. As things got underway, she smiled and whispered to the now four-month-old. "Hey, there's Mommy. You see her standing with Auntie Haruka?" Natsuki asked in a low voice, doing her best to point at Shizuru. Shinobu focused on her mother's finger rather than attempt to find her mommy in the huge crowd.

"You know, I hope she answers you one day, just to scare the mess out of you," Nao remarked, sitting to Natsuki's right. She had her arms wrapped around Kenta, who was dressed in his best suit. Nao was wearing an expensive gown, which her boyfriend—Kenta—purchased for this occasion. He assured her that money was no object; his parents had afforded him a very generous allowance, but he was also looking for work. Nao, surprisingly enough, did not look to spend his money wildly, but the dress was a must-have for such a grand event.

They were attending Haruka and Yukino's wedding. The couple could not wait as they had been planning to at first, not after seeing how easily things could get messed up a few months earlier. So, instead of waiting until Yukino's final term as president was up, they married as soon as everything settled down. No one objected to it; in fact, most agreed that it was smart move.

There were rumors flying around that Haruka was going to like Shizuru and Natsuki soon, namely retire. Even though it was clear that Haruka enjoyed being an Otome, she loved Yukino more. Yukino was not going to sit around and be idle once she was no longer president of Aries, so Haruka would probably want to keep an eye on her beloved. She could not do that if she was still the Otome for the next president of Aries.

"Are you kidding? I can't wait until she starts talking," Natsuki informed Nao with a happy grin. She then cooed at Shinobu, as if that would encourage the infant to speak. Shinobu only yawned.

Nao only shook her head, not wanting to say how nice it was to see Natsuki smiling again. Even after Tomoe was captured and Natsuki seemed back to normal, a smile had been hard to come by for a couple of months after the whole situation. Yes, Natsuki would smile at the baby or at Shizuru, but never with a lot of people around. Lately, she had been smiling more and much easier.

It was possible that Natsuki's smile might have been because she finally felt completely and totally safe, which could have subconsciously been linked to recent news they received on Tomoe and Sakura. Now, Natsuki was not the type of person to want someone to suffer endlessly, but Nao was sure what happened with Tomoe and Sakura had to put Natsuki at ease. Tomoe, who was monitored every second of the day, evidently had a nervous breakdown in her cell about a month ago, doing nothing more with her waking hours than crying pathetically. Oddly enough—to Nao anyway—Shizuru did not seem surprised when they were all informed of Tomoe's current state. But, since Tomoe seemed to spend all of her time now bawling her eyes out, the First Couple of Garderobe and their daughter seemed safe from her.

Now, Sakura never seemed like much of a threat to Nao, even when she got the full story. Sakura seemed to need someone to help her achieve all of her goals; if she was on her own, she was harmless. Well, considering the little bit of information Natsuki and Kenta shared about Sakura, she would be on her own for a very long time. Nao was not too sure "under house-arrest" meant in the island chain Saxas and Sakura's home country were part of, but Nao was sure it did not mean the same thing that it meant in Windbloom. As far as she understood it, Sakura was trapped in a small room for the rest of her life given only the basic necessities of life and possibly tormented in someway on occasion, but Nao was not too sure about that.

"You know Shinobu isn't going to talk to you because like the rest of us, she doesn't listen to you and she's not going to start," Nao teased Natsuki.

"Are you kidding? My little miracle loves me!" Natsuki cooed as she pressed the baby to her, not caring that Shinobu might mess up her clothes in some way.

The principal was dressed in her best suit. Shizuru still found it quite impossible to get her wife into a dress, no matter what arguments or bribes or anything that she used. It would seem that Natsuki would only wear a dress if absolutely necessary, like when she had to wear one as a uniform. Natsuki claimed that she had been scarred by her mother and was always assaulted with bad memories when she wore a dress. Shizuru took it for the paper-thin excuse it, but left her spouse to her favorite pants suit.

Natsuki did allow her spouse to put Shinobu in a dress, provided it was not too over the top. The dress that Shizuru picked out was simple in her opinion, a light green with a few ruffles. They both agreed that the baby was adorable in it.

"Here, baby, wave hi to Mommy while you can," Natsuki said and she shifted Shinobu before lifting her up.

Shinobu looked where Natsuki wanted her to now. She focused her green and red eyes onto her mother and grinned. Shizuru saw the baby and smiled back, waving a little from her spot at the altar. She was standing with Haruka, who was dressed in a dazzling white and yellow wedding dress. Haruka's outfit was a huge surprise because most people expected her to show up in her Otome uniform since she prided herself so much on her position, but instead, she went with a very lovely, flattering gown.

Shizuru was wearing a yellow gown with white trim and it complimented her well. Chie was there too, but she was wearing a yellow and white suit; as it turned out, she was just as difficult to get into a dress as Natsuki was. Anh also stood with them, being very close to Haruka from their time as students at Garderobe. The princess was dressed in a gown identical to Shizuru's dress. Finally, there was Sara Gallagher, the first column, standing there in a dress just like Anh and Shizuru. They were all smiling, especially enjoying how happy they knew Haruka was.

Mikoto was overseeing the wedding ceremony again. Haruka and Yukino had been very impressed with the cat goddess' performance before and thought it would be nice for her to do the same for them. Mikoto was glad to do it; mostly, because she knew it involved free food. Well, and she liked an excuse to be around all of Mai's friends.

Looking out, Mikoto was able to tell that this ceremony was just as important as the last one she presided over. It often amazed her that there were so many people in the world and that they would all come together for one event. Of course, the thought made her rather happy. It was good for people to gather and enjoy each other and many people had gathered for this joyous occasion.

The bridesmaids entered wearing lilac colored dresses with white trim. Among the bridesmaids was Nadia Kruger; her husband was in the audience with his sister and he was also sitting with their two sons. Behind the bridesmaids was Yukino in a lush, full white gown with lilac trim. A veil covered her face, but Haruka would soon learn that Yukino was crying. Not that she was alone since tears flowed down Haruka's face as soon as she laid eyes on her bride-to-be.

The tears did not stop when Yukino came to stand by Haruka. No one thought anything less of the blonde general, of course. But, later on, there would be some teasing…especially from Natsuki.

The ceremony was short, but memorable. It went off without a hitch, which was more than Natsuki and Shizuru could claim. Everyone agreed that it was the picture perfect wedding. It was beautiful and perfect.

"The couple have written their own vows," Mikoto informed the audience. She then turned to Haruka, giving the blonde the signal to begin her speech.

The general had to take a deep breath and smiled awkwardly for a brief moment. Then, looking Yukino in the eye, Haruka found her voice. She gently took Yukino's hand before she began speaking.

"Yukino, you are the most wonderful person I have ever had the pleasure to meet and I am honored that you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with me. I promise to hold you close forever and love you for all eternity. I will stay by your side and see you through any trouble. I will be there to make you smile and to experience all the world's joy with you. I will do my best to make sure you want for nothing, especially affection. I will always cherish you. You will always be precious to me," Haruka stated with conviction.

Everyone was amazed that Haruka managed some very touching vows without a single misused word… and that only further led people to believe that she misused words on purpose. Tears flowed down Yukino's face. She was not the only person crying; many people in the audience and even Anh was crying.

Mikoto smiled and then turned her attention to Yukino. She tilted her head to the side a little, undoubtedly curious about the tears. But, Mikoto did not ask any questions. She merely motioned to Yukino that it was her turn to speak.

"Haruka, you are my soul-mate and my best friend. I can think of no one I would rather spend my life loving and being loved by in return. You are by far the strongest person I have ever known and having you by my side gives me strength. I want to give you strength also. I want to give you everything you need, want, and deserve. My only wish is to make you happy in life," Yukino proclaimed in a surprisingly strong voice.

By the end of the vows, half the audience was in tears, including Nao and Natsuki. The two sniffled and turned away from each other, so neither would see the other cry. After a couple of seconds, they turned and faced forward again.

"I think I have something in my eye," Natsuki lied as she wiped away her tears.

"Me too," Nao insisted.

The audience clapped when Haruka and Yukino were pronounced married and leaned in for their first kiss as spouses. There was a standing ovation when they pulled away. The newlyweds smiled and then everyone left to go the reception. Plenty of professional photos were taken at the reception before everyone was seated in the massive hall of the Presidential Palace in Aries. Closing out the wonderful ceremony, Shizuru stood up to make her toast to the newlyweds.

"Good evening everyone. I would like to keep my remarks short to avoid keeping Haruka-san and Yukino-san here any longer than necessary. I have known Haruka for a very long time and through her, I met Yukino, who I have also known a long time now. I do not believe I have seen two people so obviously made for each other, and that includes me and my Natsuki. Haruka-san and Yukino-san complete each other, always strive for their best because of each other, and they always support each other in every endeavor they undertake. Neither of them is ever alone because, as Haruka-san once told me, she could feel Yukino-san in her soul, buried in her heart, and embracing her always. I will not stand here and wish you luck because I know you two. You will fight for each other and you will fight for you love. This is to your happiness, your love. I hope that you to get everything you desire from life and everything you deserve," Shizuru said and she raised her glass. "Oh, and also make sure that our little Binkie has a playmate soon," she added.

Yukino blushed while Haruka puffed out her chest, as if silently proclaiming they would get to that soon enough. Shizuru smiled and everyone took sips from their glasses. The party was then underway. A lot of couples went to the dance floor, including Kenta and Nao.

Natsuki and Shizuru sat with Shinobu, even though Shinobu did not stay with them for long. Shinobu was a hot commodity being the newest baby around and also the first child of a very beloved couple. Everyone wanted to hold her, especially her two cousins. The little boys were not allowed to hold the baby; they were only six and four themselves. Nadia held the baby while her sons admired her.

"Natsuki's nephews are adorable," Shizuru commented. She had only just met the little boys. She and Natsuki were at the same table with Nadia. She and her sons were a couple of chairs away, cooing down at Shinobu. Shinobu stared at them, almost reminding Shizuru of Natsuki's "what the hell is going on" look.

"Yeah, and remember that Nico and Sebastian are your nephews too," Natsuki reminded her spouse, glancing over at her brother's children. The boys took after Nadia for the most part, making Natsuki think that Kruger genes probably were not as strong as she liked to brag. She wondered if she and Shizuru's next child would favor Shizuru more. She knew that Viola genes were very strong looking at Shizuru and Daphne, who definitely favored their father. She did not care, though. Just the thought of a second child put a smile on her face.

Shizuru nodded. "Yes, yes. This is a bit to get used to. As you know, my family is not quite as large as yours," she commented quite seriously, but she was smiling too. Thanks to Natsuki, she now had a huge family and Shinobu also had that family. She continued smiling as she watched how Nico Kruger and Sebastian Kruger marveled over their little cousin and continuously proclaimed "the greatest thing ever" with delighted smiles. They obviously loved their cousin already and Shizuru was so happy because of that.

"It's fine, babe. Oh, you did a great job on the toast too. I'm glad you didn't make fun of Haruka too much," Natsuki quipped.

Shizuru smiled, but did not say anything. They turned their attention to the party and saw that everyone was having a good time. Haruka and Yukino appeared to be looking for a way to escape, but guests that wanted to speak with them continuously halted them. Shizuru laughed a bit as she noticed what the poor newlyweds were going through while Natsuki started scanning the room for their wandering daughter, who went from her aunt Nadia to several other "aunts" when they noticed her.

Shinobu was pretty good when it came to her family, including the various aunts that were not related to her by blood. She tended to be very quiet, especially if she had something in her mouth to nibble or suck. She had even finally started accepting the pacifier, but only when she was tired or bored. Her newfound love of the pacifier did not stop the Viola family from calling her "Binkie." They noted that she still did not like it as much as other children, often spitting it out after only having it in her mouth for a couple of minutes. She much rather chew on her sleeves or nibble on one of her mothers' fingers.

Shinobu seemed to enjoy people-watching, often staring at whoever was holding her as if she was conducting a study. Everyone thought that was thoroughly amusing since she was only four months old. They could only wonder what was going on behind those mismatched eyes.

Shizuru and Natsuki's family and friends liked to speculate on whom Shinobu got her people-watching habit from. Most of the time no one could figure out whom Shinobu was most like. They could not wait for her to grow up a little and they could figure out if she was a mini-Shizuru or a mini-Natsuki…although both were scary thoughts for most of them.

Not too long after Natsuki found where the baby was, Shinobu was returned to them, out like a little light. Shizuru took charge of her, brushing some of her hair out of her face. They noticed that Shinobu had the making of natural highlights in her hair, but it was hard to tell. Only when the light hit her ebony tresses just right did they see hints of chestnut streaks running through her hair. Often, when the parents noticed the highlights, they wondered why Shinobu came out the way that she did. They did not dwell on it, though, and just dubbed her their "little miracle."

The couple left the party early to get Shinobu home, making sure to bid everyone farewell before they took their leave. People even still cooed at Shinobu, even though she was out. Others commented on how adorable it was that she slept with her mouth wide open; now, that was a trait Shizuru knew for a fact came from Natsuki. It took a while, but Shizuru and Natsuki made it out of the reception and home with Shinobu still sound asleep.

Home was still the principal's suite at Garderobe. They had been discussing where they were going to retire to, but they had not come up with anything solid. They figured that they had time, especially since Natsuki had slowed her own retirement process. She found that she could keep an eye on Shinobu and get a lot of work done at the same time. Whenever Natsuki could not watch the baby, Shizuru was right there. Natsuki figured that she had a couple more years in her and also that a couple of years might be good before Shizuru carried their next child.

Shizuru had pretty much switched her job at the school and no one really said anything. She was now a combat instructor. Nao, who did not seem to mind at all, handled her missions. Nao seemed much more confident in her own position thanks to Kenta's support and did not mind diving into Otome service.

The baby was laid down in a bassinet, which was out in the living room. Natsuki and Shizuru changed out of their wedding clothing into pajamas after having a quick shower. They then curled up on the couch. A movie was put on and they just enjoyed being close to each other, gently caressing each other and on occasion kissing whatever body part was closest.

"Natsuki," Shizuru said out of the blue.

"Hmm?"

"I love you and our daughter with all my heart," Shizuru replied.

A wide grin spread across Natsuki's face and she held onto her wife a little tighter. "I love you and our daughter too. I'm also looking forward to more kids."

Shizuru smiled softly and then gave Natsuki a deep kiss on the lips. Natsuki was surprised by the contact, but quickly got over that. She returned the kiss, which was brief, but passionate. They had their whole lives ahead of them and they were looking forward to it.

* * *

The end.

Well, here we are at the end of yet another story. Thank you everyone for reading my work. I hope you enjoyed it. I would like to thank my beta Ken-Zero for his usual outstanding work. I would also like to thank DezoPenguin, who might not know it, but was definitely the unofficial second beta for this story. Well, my hope is to one day do a sequel for this and also a couple of one-shots in this universe. We'll see how that works out. I hope you guys come back for any Mai Hime/Otome story I do decide to write. Well, I'm going back to my padded room now. Hasta…


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